WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Maintenance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria will be used by his Department in its operational readiness review in March 2014 to determine whether the new statutory child maintenance service is working sufficiently well to permit the introduction of fees to use the service and to begin to close down all Child Support Agency cases.

Steve Webb: The project will use the Department for Work and Pensions Project Change Lifecycle Framework criteria to assess readiness to introduce fees and begin the closedown of Child Support Agency cases.

Child Maintenance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received in relation to the application of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights with regard to the lack of right of appeal against the imposition of ongoing child maintenance collection charge by the Child Maintenance Service.

Steve Webb: We have been unable to find any representations made directly to us about Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights with regard to the Child Maintenance Service's charging of fees. The legislation and draft regulations enabling the collection charge for the Child Maintenance Service are, however, fully compatible with the Human Rights Act.
	The decision to charge a fee for collecting child maintenance via the Child Maintenance Service is not discretionary and all clients using this service will be required to pay these charges as a contribution to meeting the cost of the service. The collection fee imposed by the Child Maintenance Service is a percentage of the maintenance due and is calculated in direct proportion to the amount of the child maintenance that a client must pay. Should a client believe that the amount of child maintenance assessed is incorrect, or that there is no obligation to pay maintenance at all, there are existing provisions for an appeal to be made to the First-Tier Tribunal.

Child Maintenance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what circumstances the Child Maintenance Service will consider withdrawal of its collect and pay service from a parent with care who is using it and wishes to continue to use it; and what mechanism will be made available to parents with care to appeal a decision by the Secretary of State to withdraw access to the collect and pay service should they wish to continue using it.

Steve Webb: When Section 137 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 comes into force, the Child Maintenance Service will only be permitted to require clients to use the collect and pay service where either (a) the non-resident parent agrees or (b) the non-resident parent is considered unlikely to pay. If a parent with care wishes to use the collect and pay service in circumstances where the legal framework allows for this, they will be permitted to do so and the service will not be withdrawn.
	Where a parent with care considers that the Secretary of State has acted unreasonably in determining whether a non-resident parent is unlikely to pay and therefore that the case should progress onto Direct Pay against the parent with care's wishes, they may ask for this decision to be reviewed. If unsatisfied with the outcome of the review they may make a complaint to the Independent Case Examiner. In the case of maladministration, a complaint may be made to the Parliamentary Ombudsman. And, where all other available remedies have been exhausted, an application may be made to the courts for judicial review of the decision.

Employment and Support Allowance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance and support his Department provides to people assessed as fit for work by Atos and declined employment support allowance whilst awaiting reconsideration.

Michael Penning: When a decision maker has decided that a claimant does not have limited capability for work following a Work Capability Assessment, the Department makes a decision assurance call. During this call, the claimant can be advised of what alternative benefits may be available and what action to take if they dispute the decision.
	The decision letter issued to the claimant in these circumstances also provides detailed advice on claiming jobseeker's allowance and other benefits. Jobcentres also provide further advice to claimants to help them return to work.

Employment and Support Allowance

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he takes to ensure that there are not discrepancies between the number of people (a) paid employment and support allowance and (b) the number that work capability providers are paid to assess.

Michael Penning: There is no direct connection between having an assessment and being paid employment and support allowance.
	DWP validates all claims for payment by the assessment provider by selecting a representative sample of cases and checking against its own records to confirm the validity of that payment.

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department's area of responsibility in the same period.

Michael Penning: Since 2010, 65 EU directives have been transposed. Of which three concern occupational safety and health (Directive 2006/25/EC on artificial optical radiation, Directive 2009/161/EU establishing a Third List of Indicative Occupational Exposure Limit Values, and Directive 2010/32/EU implementing the Framework Agreement on prevention of sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector); two concern the identification and traceability of explosives (Directives 2008/43/EC and 2012/4/EU); 60 principally concern technical authorisations for biocidal products (these are mainly amendments to the annexes of Directive 98/8/EC to authorise the placing on the EU market of individual biocidal products, including to the benefit of businesses developing such products).
	Since 2010, 30 direct-acting EU regulations have come into effect in the Department's area of responsibility. Of which 13 concern EU regulation of chemical substances; 17 concern EU regulation of biocidal products, including the new EU Biocides Regulation which has replaced Directive 98/8/EC and further technical approvals for substances to be used in individual biocidal products.

EU Social Policy

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 50W, on EU social policy, which UK public funds are classified by the Government as (a) social assistance and (b) social security for the purposes of interpreting requirements of the EU Treaty.

Esther McVey: The Government's position is as follows.
	The Department for Work and Pensions administers three classes of benefits:
	Social security benefits are designed to cover a number of specified risks which are set out in Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems, such as sickness benefits, old-age benefits and unemployment benefits. These benefits are covered by the EU social security coordination rules and can be exportable, i.e. these benefits are paid to UK nationals and EU citizens who no longer live in the UK, but are now resident elsewhere in the EU.
	Social assistance benefits are means tested benefits with particular qualifying conditions based on residence. They are not covered by EU social security coordination rules and are not exportable.
	Special non-contributory benefits (SNCBs) have characteristics of both social security and social assistance benefits. They are covered by EU social security coordination rules but are not exportable.
	Examples of these three benefits are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			 Benefit Category  
			 Attendance allowance Social security Paid in EEA/Switzerland 
			 Disability living allowance (Care)   
			 Personal independence payment (daily living)   
			 Carer’s allowance   
			 Maternity allowance   
			 Jobseeker’s allowance (contribution based)   
			 Employment support allowance (contribution based)   
			 Industrial injuries   
		
	
	
		
			 Disablement benefit   
			 Bereavement benefits   
			 State retirement pension   
			 Winter fuel payment   
			 Child tax credit   
			 Child benefit   
			    
			 Disability living allowance (mobility) SNCBs Not exportable 
			 Personal independence payment (mobility)   
			 Pension Credit   
			 Jobseeker’s allowance (income based)   
			 Employment and support allowance (income related)   
			    
			 Housing benefit Social assistance Not exportable 
			 Income support

Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what total number of telephones was available in the Jobcentre Plus network to enable jobseekers to contact officials in his Department free of charge with benefit queries on 1 January (a) 2010, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014;
	(2)  what the average number of telephones was in each jobcentre to enable jobseekers to contact officials in his Department free of charge with benefit queries on 1 January (a) 2010, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: With the increase in online and digital platforms for benefit claims and job search, we have been moving towards an assisted service for vulnerable claimants where queries are dealt with face to face for those claimants who require our support. As a consequence the number of phones deployed has been falling. We are unable to provide data from 2010 but in 2012 the number of phones deployed was 3,700. This has decreased by approximately 1,300 to 2,400. As we continue to develop our digital and assisted service these phones will be gradually removed and the total will fall to zero.

Pensions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to safeguard the rights of UK pension holders whose pensions have been placed in the hands of companies that are based abroad.

Steve Webb: Pension schemes that are registered in the UK remain subject to UK pensions regulations and come within the Regulator's remit. The Regulator has significant anti-avoidance powers to ensure that abandonment of schemes does not take place, or to take action where it does. Where there is a deliberate act to avoid the employer's debt to the scheme or an act which will detrimentally affect the likelihood of accrued scheme benefits being received, the Pensions Regulator has a power to issue a contribution notice. Where the legal tests required by the legislation are met, the Regulator can require a cash contribution to be made to the scheme.
	The Regulator also has the power to issue a Financial Support Direction (FSD) which requires arrangements to be put in place to ensure that the employer will fund members' benefits in full. In the case of a takeover, the acquiring company may come within the ambit of the FSD provisions, if the conditions are satisfied.
	Pensions legislation includes rules governing the service of documents and this is intended to operate outside the UK jurisdiction. The power to enforce any regulatory action against a non-UK company is likely to require the approval or cooperation of the relevant overseas authorities.

Pensions Regulator

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of resources provided to the Pensions Regulator.

Steve Webb: The adequacy of the resources allocated to the Pensions Regulator is reviewed regularly. A review is under way to determine the resources the body requires in order to pursue its objectives in 2014-15. This review will inform the development of the Pensions Regulator's Business Plan, effective from April 2014, which it will publish in due course.

Social Security Benefits: Brigg

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Brigg and Goole constituency have had their benefit withdrawn for refusing to work in each year since 2010.

Esther McVey: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of individuals with an adverse jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) sanction decision for refusal of employment, in Brigg and Goole parliamentary constituency, 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2013 
			  Number 
			 2010 40 
			 2011 110 
			 2012 (1 January to 31 May) 20 
			 2012 (22 October to 31 December) 10 
			 2013 (1 January to 30 June) — 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. “—” denotes nil or negligible. 2. Data is to 30 June 2013 which is the latest available information. 3. Due to a data issue, information on JSA sanctions for the period 1 June 2012 to 21 October 2012 is not readily available at parliamentary constituency level. The JSA sanction figures for this year have therefore been provided separately for the two time periods which are available. 4. Figures may include individuals who have had more than one adverse sanction decision e.g. if an individual has a sanction applied in two different time periods, they will appear in each period above. 5. The number of sanctions applied up to 21 October 2012 is the number of varied, fixed length and entitlement decision referrals where there has been an adverse decision. 6. New sanctions rules came into force for JSA from 22 October 2012. The number of sanctions applied is the number of low, intermediate and high level referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-overview-of-sanctions-rules Source: DWP: sanctions and disallowance decisions statistics database.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason three months was chosen as the length of time before an EU migrant can claim benefits.

Esther McVey: The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Habitual Residence) Amendment Regulations 2013 has been laid with a three months residence requirement to apply to an EU migrant claiming income-based JSA. It is legitimate for the UK to pay income-based JSA only if there is a genuine link between the jobseeker and the labour market, and that the person has, for a reasonable period, genuinely sought work. A three-month period is an appropriate and proportionate period of time to establish that link.

Social Security Benefits: Foreign Nationals

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration has been given to the use of a national identity card system for determining eligibility for receipt of welfare payments.

Esther McVey: No consideration has been given to the use of a national identity card system for determining eligibility for receipt of welfare payments, as there are no plans to introduce national identity cards.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress his Department has made on addressing issues regarding Atos testing for disability benefit claimants.

Michael Penning: ‘Atos testing’ has been interpreted to be the work capability assessments in the medical services agreement.
	DWP continually monitors the effectiveness of Atos Healthcare’s performance.
	In July 2013, we announced an unacceptable drop in the quality of reports provided by Atos Healthcare. Since then, the Department has been working closely with Atos Healthcare to progress their quality improvement plans, which has seen Atos overhaul their audit arrangements and put their work force through a process of retraining and re-accreditation.
	DWP has announced that they will bring in new assessment provision to provide additional delivery capacity for work capability assessments with the aim of reducing waiting times. Commercial activity to procure this additional delivery capacity is already under way.

Telephone Services

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what decision he has made on the case for using 03 telephone numbers for calls from members of the public with benefit queries.

Esther McVey: DWP will start to introduce 03 numbers alongside its existing 0845 range during March 2014. This dual number approach will allow the caller to make a choice on which number is best for them given the terms of their personal telephone contract. This approach is in accordance with Cabinet Office Guidance for Customer Service Helplines.

Unemployment: Ethnic Groups

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to reduce unemployment among black and ethnic minority young people.

Esther McVey: The Government’s strategy for increasing ethnic minority employment and participation in the labour market is based around mainstreaming opportunity through locally delivered flexible provision.
	The help and services we deliver in DWP, through Jobcentre Plus and through Work programme providers, are designed to allow flexibility to support each individual jobseeker, rather than treat people according to ethnic groups. Local autonomy and flexibility has replaced the one size fits all approach that has dogged previous employment schemes.
	Where there are significant numbers of local claimants with a shared ethnic background and common barriers to employment, a provider or jobcentre may choose to put in place provision designed to help that group. That would be an entirely appropriate local response.

Unemployment: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times he has met the Mayor of London to discuss unemployment in London since May 2010.

Esther McVey: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), has met with the Mayor of London on a number of occasions since May 2010 and has discussed a variety of issues.

Universal Credit

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what role he envisages for local authorities in the administration of universal credit.

Esther McVey: We recognise that some people will need help with the new demands of universal credit. This could include understanding the new system, help with getting online, and help with managing on a monthly budget and paying rent.
	In conjunction with local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, the Department has published the Universal Credit Local Support Services Framework (February 2013). This provides a structure for the delivery of local support services to individuals needing additional help with the new demands of universal credit.
	Central to the local support services framework is the "Delivery Partnerships Approach" under which DWP and local authority managers will work together to agree upon delivery of services at the local level.
	On 6 December 2013, the Department published the Universal Credit Local Support Services Framework Update and Trialling Plan. This refocuses the local support services work following announcements setting out revisions to the roll-out of universal credit.

Work Programme

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his assessment of the effectiveness of the Work Programme will include (a) data on claimants returning to Jobcentre services and (b) a survey of the experiences of those completing the Work Programme.

Esther McVey: Work Programme performance statistics data and experiences of Work Programme returners have and will be used in assessment of the effectiveness of the programme.

HEALTH

Action on Smoking and Health

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when his Department has met representatives to the Action on Smoking and Health charity since July 2013; how many such meetings have been held to discuss proposals for standardised tobacco packaging; and who was present at each such meeting;
	(2)  how much funding the Action on Smoking and Health charity received from his Department in the last year; and what assessment he has made of how these funds have been spent;
	(3)  on how many occasions he or his Department met an organisation, group or person to discuss tobacco control regulation in the last year; who attended each such meeting; which aspect of tobacco control was discussed at each such meeting; and what the date was of each such meeting;
	(4)  on how many occasions his Department met representatives of the charity Action on Smoking and Health to discuss the Tobacco Products Directive in the last year; and who was present at each such meeting.

Jane Ellison: Ministers and officials meet a range of organisations on a regular basis to discuss many aspects of tobacco control.
	Since July 2013 the Department has had six meetings specifically with Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), and one of these meetings was specifically about Standardised Packaging. Departmental attendees at these meetings have included tobacco policy team officials and departmental lawyers.
	In the last year, the Department has not had any specific meetings with ASH to discuss the proposed revisions to the Tobacco Products Directive.
	There have also been other meetings and events that both Department and ASH have attended; some of these meetings have been with the Smokefree Action Coalition, whose membership includes health charities, academics, clinicians and local authorities for which ASH provides the secretariat. I was present for two of these meetings.
	ASH received a grant for £150,000 for the financial year 2012-13. The Department held regular governance meetings and received update reports from ASH in accordance with the terms of all grants awarded under Section 64 of the Health and Social Care Act 1968. These arrangements were subject to a routine internal audit review in 2012 which was fully satisfactory.

Cholesterol

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of adults with high blood cholesterol in England.

Jane Ellison: The Government have an ambitious programme to improve public health through strengthening local action, behavioural changes and promoting healthy choices, and changing the environment to support healthier lives.
	We know that many premature deaths and illnesses could be avoided by improving lifestyles. Blood cholesterol levels can be lowered by eating a healthy, balanced diet that is low in saturated fat, taking regular exercise, stop smoking and reducing alcohol intake.
	Our programme includes national ambitions to reduce smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, and harmful use of alcohol, all with appropriate metrics included in the public health outcomes framework.
	In addition to this, through the NHS Health Check, people between the ages of 40 and 74 are offered a range of checks on their health, including on cholesterol levels. The check gives doctors an opportunity for the early identification of cardiovascular risks in the adult population.
	The Department’s mandate for NHS England sets out the improvements in health and health care outcomes that the national health service is expected to deliver, and the priorities for improvement are reflected in the NHS outcomes framework. This includes supporting earlier diagnosis of illness by tackling issues such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are both risk factors for coronary heart disease.

Counselling

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for access to NHS counselling services in each of the last 10 years.

Norman Lamb: The information is not available in the format requested or for the full period.
	Data on average waiting times for access to NHS counselling services from 2004-2008 have not been collected, as a national psychological therapy service did not exist during this period, and information was not collected for locally commissioned services.
	There are a range of talking therapies and counselling available for the treatment of depression and anxiety. We do not keep data on all of these.
	The Health and Social Care Information Centre has collected data on waiting times for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) from 2012-13. This is presented as a distribution of banded times waiting times from service request to first treatment appointment, as average waiting times are not available.
	Data are available for 2012-13 and for Quarter 1 of 2013-14 in the following tables.
	
		
			 Number of days1 from service request2 to first treatment appointment3 2012-13 England 
			  28 days or less Between 29 and 56 days Between 57 and 90 days More than 90 days 
			 England total 274,975 89,967 35,844 33,461 
			 1 These figures are currently presented as experimental statistics. To view “Psychological Therapies, Annual Report on the Use of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Services—England, 2012-13”, and the Background Data Quality statement, which provides information about the data quality issues affecting these figures, please go to: www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13339 2 As this is the first year of reporting from the IAPT dataset, only those service requests received in the year are included. Referrals that predate this point as not included in the figures. 3 Those service requests that ended before treatment, or those that were still waiting for treatment at the end of the reporting period, are not included in the figures. Source: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) dataset www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB11842 www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB11842 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of days1 from service request to first treatment appointment2 where the first treatment appointment occurred within the reporting period quarter 1 2013-14, England 
			  28 days or less Between 29 and 56 days Between 57 and 90 days More than 90 days 
			 England total 92,638 32,482 14,194 19,310 
			 1 These figures are currently presented as experimental statistics. To view “Quarterly Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Data Set Reports, England—Final Q1 summary statistics and related information, Experimental statistics”, and the Background Data Quality statement, which provides information about the data quality issues affecting these figures, please go to: www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB11842 2 Those service requests that were yet to have a first treatment at the end of the reporting period are not included in the figures. Source: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) dataset 
		
	
	Data collected on IAPT prior to 2012-13 cannot be broken down to show waiting times.

Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which drugs are the five most frequently prescribed in the NHS for treatment of anxiety and depression;
	(2)  what the cost to the NHS of prescriptions was for anti-depressant drugs in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many prescriptions for anti-depressants were issued in (a) England, (b) each region of England and (c) each health authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Norman Lamb: Information on the five medicines for the treatment of anxiety and depression, with the most prescriptions dispensed, in the last financial year, 2012-13, is provided.
	
		
			 Table 1: The five most frequently dispensed medicines used for the treatment of anxiety, as defined by section 4.1.2 Anxiolytics of the British National Formulary (BNF) and for depression, as defined by section 4.3 Antidepressant drugs of the BNF, in terms of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England, in 2012-131 
			  BNF 4.1.2 Anxiolytics BNF 4.3 Antidepressant drugs 
			 Ranking Name Items dispensed (thousand) Name Items dispensed (thousand) 
			 1 Diazepam 5,245.3 Citalopram Hydrobromide 13,576.3 
			 2 Lorazepam 1,012.3 Amitriptyline Hydrochloride 10,513,1 
			 3 Chlordiazepoxide Hydrochloride 166.2 Fluoxetine Hydrochloride 5,874.8 
			 4 Buspirone Hydrochloride 150.5 Sertraline Hydrochloride 5,220.5 
			 5 Oxazepam 150.4 Mirtazapine 4,730.5 
			 1 Medicines may be used to treat conditions other than the therapeutic classifications defined in the BNF. Source. Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Prescribing and Primary Care Services. 
		
	
	The cost of antidepressant prescription items dispensed in. each of the last 10 financial years, together with the number of items, is provided.
	
		
			 Table 2: The net ingredient cost (NIC) of prescription items written in the UK and dispensed in the community, in England, for medicines classified as anti-depressants in BNF section 4.3 Antidepressant drugs, for each of the last available 10 financial years, together with the number of prescription items dispensed1 
			 £000 
			  NIC Prescription items 
			 2003-04 398,132.2 28,098.9 
			 2004-05 393,588.2 28,913.4 
			 2005-06 322,035.5 29,878.5 
			 2006-07 285,623.6 31,704.6 
			 2007-08 268,163.4 34,325.9 
			 2008-09 242,880.2 36,531.2 
			 2009-10 225,843.2 40,096.8 
			 2010-11 237,802.4 43,735.5 
			 2011-12 253,538.8 47,743.6 
			 2012-13 216,870.6 50,663.9 
			 1 Medicines may be used to treat conditions other than the therapeutic classifications defined in the BNF. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Prescribing and Primary Care Services. 
		
	
	Information is not held centrally on the number of prescriptions issued. Information is available for the number of prescription items dispensed for England and by special health authorities only and is not available for a full 10 year period.
	
		
			 Table 3: Number of prescription items dispensed in the community for antidepressant medicines, as defined by BNF section 4.3 Antidepressant drugs, written in England and by strategic health authority (SHA), in the UK, with the net ingredient cost1, 2, 3 
			 Prescription items (thousand) 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 England4 39,736,1 43,388.5 47,405.8 50,334.2 
			      
			 SHA     
			 East Midlands 3,561.8 3,899.0 4,281.4 4,573.3 
			 East of England 4,559.4 4,999.9 5,470.1 5,833.8 
			 London 3,588.8 3,916.2 4,289.4 4,532.8 
			 North East 2,818.7 3,118.6 3,424.2 3,648.7 
			 North West 6,617.0 7,184.4 7,815.9 8,271.7 
			 South Central 3,023.0 3,285.4 3,533.4 3,687.8 
			 South East Coast 3,046.8 3,328.8 3,636.1 3,874.2 
			 South West 4,245.2 4,651.3 5,116.2 5,452.9 
			 West Midlands 3,842.0 4,174.1 4,570.8 4,840.3 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 4,422.6 4,813.7 5,248.6 5,581.1 
			 Unidentified5 10.9 17.2 19.8 37.7 
		
	
	
		
			 NIC (£000) 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 England4 223,108.2 235,350.8 251,178.9 214,892.7 
			      
			 SHA     
			 East Midlands 18,138.9 19,936.6 21,853.8 18,928.9 
			 East of England 25,605.9 27,009.8 28,663.7 24,301.5 
			 London 22,233.0 23,721.2 24,708.7 20,330.0 
			 North East 14,441.1 15,362.4 15,865.8 13,262.8 
			 North West 37,790.0 38,602.1 40,981.2 35,693.3 
			 South Central 17,231.2 17,778.4 19,542.5 16,729.9 
			 South East Coast 19,686.3 21,180.8 22,885.8 19,751.7 
			 South West 22,842.8 24,006.8 26,326.2 23,001.2 
		
	
	
		
			 West Midlands 22,766.6 24,228.2 25,509.5 21,353.3 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 22,313.5 23,426.7 24,742.9 21,396.4 
			 Unidentified5 59.0 97.8 98.6 143.9 
			 1 Medicines may be used to treat conditions other than the therapeutic classifications defined in the BNF. 2 ePACT data has been used as this is available at sub-national level but is only available for financial years 2009-10 onwards. 3 Information is not available by geographical region. 4 Due to a different data source being used for this PQ figures for England do not exactly match England totals in Table 2. 5 Represents prescription items that cannot be attributed to a named SHA. Source: Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool (ePACT) system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Prescribing and Primary Care Services.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration has been given to the use of a national identity card system for determining eligibility for treatment by the national health service.

Jane Ellison: A national identity card system for determining eligibility for treatment by the national health service was taken into consideration as part of the work on improving recovery of charges from visitors and migrants accessing health care. Having taken into consideration a number of factors, including cost, it was decided not to pursue this approach.

Health: Children

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 414W, on health: children, if he will commission a sample study or a review of sample studies to discover the levels of unfitness in schoolchildren.

Jane Ellison: The Department has not planned to commission a sample study or a review of sample studies to discover the level of unfitness in schoolchildren.
	We know that too many children are overweight and we want more children to do regular exercise. So that all pupils develop healthy, active lifestyles, the Government are providing primary schools with over £450 million of ring-fenced funding to improve physical education and sport provision over academic years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Hepatitis

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the prevention, early identification and treatment of hepatitis C.

Jane Ellison: Through Public Health England (PHE), the Department continues to raise awareness of hepatitis C among professionals and the public. Major reports published recently include “Hepatitis C in the UK: 2013”, available at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/Publications/InfectiousDiseases/BloodBorne Infections/HepatitisCInTheUK/1307HepatitisCintheUK2013 report/
	“An audit of hepatitis C services in a representative sample of English prisons, 2013”, available at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/Publications/InfectiousDiseases/BloodBorne Infections/HepatitisCInTheUK/1305AuditofHepCservicesin Englishprisons/
	“Hepatitis C in London: annual review (2011 data)”, available at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/Publications/InfectiousDiseases/BloodBorne Infections/HepatitisCInTheUK/1208HepCinLondon2011review/
	PHE has worked with the Local Government Association to produce the document “Hepatitis: frequently asked questions: briefing for councillors”, that can support the work of overview and scrutiny committees and health and wellbeing boards, this is available at:
	www.local.gov.uk/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=f0e5b7b9-c32e-4c8e-a005-b5c4e87b0126&groupId=10180
	PHE has also co-developed the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Certificate in the Detection, Diagnosis and Management of Hepatitis B and C in Primary Care to help raise awareness in primary care and among other professionals working with groups at high risk of chronic viral hepatitis infection. By May 2013, 936 individuals had completed the RCGP e-learning module; 360 individuals had completed level 1 of the certificate (comprising both the e-module and face-to-face training).

Home Care Services: Pay

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of levels of adherence to minimum wage legislation in the home care sector.

Norman Lamb: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is responsible for national minimum wage (NMW) policy, including the policy on compliance and enforcement. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforce the NMW on BIS's behalf.
	The Government are taking action to improve compliance with national minimum wage legislation including HMRC's targeted enforcement activity on non-compliance in the care sector. HMRC is also collaborating with care sector representative bodies to improve understanding of compliance risks and design controls within payroll systems that prevent workers being underpaid the minimum wage.

Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) men, (b) women and (c) children were referred through the NHS for counselling to treat depression and anxiety in each of the last 10 years.

Norman Lamb: There is a range of talking therapies and counselling available for the treatment of depression and anxiety. We do not keep data on ail of these. However, since 2008 we have collected data on the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme. These data were collected, through an aggregate Key Performance Indicators collection, but this does not provide the required breakdown of men, women and children.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients waited longer than four hours at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust accident and emergency department in the latest period for which figures are available; and how long the longest wait was during that period.

Jane Ellison: Information is not available in the format requested. Information on longest waits in accident and emergency (A&E) departments is not collected centrally.
	For University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, in the week ending 12 January 2014, 182 patients spent longer than four hours in A&E departments (all types) from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. This represents 5.7% of patients attending. Statistics on A&E departments are published weekly on the NHS England website at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bahrain

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the UN is likely to approve a body to provide independent oversight to political reform in Bahrain following opposition to the National Commission appointed after the BICI report.

Hugh Robertson: Any request for independent oversight of the national dialogue process is a decision for the Government of Bahrain. We continue to encourage all parties to engage constructively in the dialogue and to build the trust and confidence necessary for longer-term reconciliation.

Burma

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports the Government have received of violations of international law taking place in Burma.

Hugo Swire: The Government receive a wide range of reports concerning the situation in Burma, some of which contain allegations of violations of international norms. For example, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, regularly highlights in his reports to the UN General Assembly areas where international human rights standards have been contravened.
	We continue to urge the Burmese Government to adhere to international standards across the full range of issues, from human rights to non-proliferation. We are specially pressing for the opening of an Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the ratification of key conventions and protocols, such as the international convention on civil and political rights and the chemical weapons convention. I will be repeating these calls in person to members of the Burmese Government during my visit to Burma later this month.

Burma

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conditions the UK is seeking before the arms embargo on Burma is lifted; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The EU arms embargo and restrictions on the supply of equipment which could be used for internal repression will be reviewed in April. The Burmese military must demonstrate their genuine commitment to reform before any change is considered.
	We will continue to use our discussions with the Burmese military to tackle human rights issues such as the use of child soldiers, and to bring an end to sexual violence in conflict areas.

Burma

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the UK training of military police in Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: We believe that engagement with both the Burmese military and with the Burmese police is the best way to encourage their participation in the country's democratic regions, and to encourage their own transition into institutions fit for a democratic era.
	From 6 to 17 January 2014, the UK Defence Academy successfully delivered an educational course to 30 students drawn from government and the Burmese military with academic partners from Cranfield University. The course did not build any military capacity or capability. Aung San Suu Kyi supported its delivery and attended the closing ceremony.
	In 2013, the EU launched a €10 million project to take place over 18 months to provide Burmese police officers with training in community policing and public order best practice. The UK is contributing directly to this project, and four serving British police officers have so far been involved. Former Northern Irish Police officers will lead on a community policing element.

EU Countries: Competition

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made on the review of the balance of competitiveness of the EU.

David Lidington: The first set of Balance of Competence reports were published on 22 July 2013. Departments are working on the second semester reports and will publish these as soon as they are ready. Calls for evidence for the third set of reports closed last week and Departments are now drafting these reports.

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department's area of responsibility in the same period.

David Lidington: Since 1 January 2010 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not transposed any EU directives into UK law. In the same period, the EU has adopted 285 regulations dealing with sanctions which are the responsibility of several Government Departments.

Iran

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 607W, on Iran, if he will take steps to develop and seek agreement on a mechanism for the inclusion of Saudi Arabia formally in the process.

Hugh Robertson: We fully recognise the interest that regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, have in developments regarding Iran’s nuclear programme. We engage regularly with them on this issue and will continue to do so. However, it would not be appropriate to develop a formal mechanism for including them in E3 plus 3 negotiations with Iran.

Malaysia

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Malaysian Government about the confiscation of Bibles by Islamic authorities in that country.

Hugo Swire: We are following closely developments in Malaysia on the use by Christians of the word of ‘Allah’, including the seizure of Malay language bibles by the religious authorities in the state of Selangor on 2 January. We have raised our concerns with Malaysian Ministers.

Malaysia

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the extent of religious freedom in Malaysia.

Hugo Swire: We regularly underline our support for respecting human rights, including freedom of religion, in our contacts with the Malaysian Government. Our high commissioner in Kuala Lumpur has raised the issue with Malaysian Ministers.

Nuclear Weapons

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK will send a representative to the conference on the Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Weapons in Nayarit, Mexico on 13 to 14 February 2014.

Hugh Robertson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 570W, to the hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn).
	I will inform the House when a decision on attendance has been made.

Syria

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make an assessment of the effect of the vote in the House of Commons of 30 August 2013 on military intervention in Syria on the UK’s (a) diplomatic and (b) trade objectives in respect of (i) Saudi Arabia and (ii) the United Arab Emirates.

Hugh Robertson: We enjoy strong bilateral relationships with both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. We share concerns about the situation in Syria and are working closely with our Gulf allies as part of wider international efforts to address the crisis.

Thailand

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Thailand to encourage that country to provide safe shelter to Rohingya children and their families who arrive there by boat.

Hugo Swire: UK Ministers and senior officials regularly raise concerns about the treatment of the Rohingya in Thailand. I raised the issue with Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jullapong Nonsrichai at the inaugural UK-Thailand Strategic Dialogue I co-chaired in Bangkok in May 2013.
	Through our embassy in Bangkok, the UK continues to press Thailand to ensure that international protocols governing the treatment of refugees are strictly adhered to by offering protection and assistance to those who land on her shores, by moving those Rohingya detained in immigration detention centres to more appropriate facilities, and offering family reunification of split families.

Western Sahara

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will (a) discuss with the Moroccan ambassador to the UK and (b) instruct HM ambassador in Rabat to report on the incidents in El Aaiún, Western Sahara, on 15 January 2014.

Hugh Robertson: We are aware of reports of an incident and have asked our embassy in Rabat for further information. We raise human rights issues relating to Western Sahara regularly with the Moroccan authorities, including at senior level in Rabat and during the embassy's regular visits to Western Sahara.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many horses in each licensed establishment were used in medical experiments in the UK in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013.

Norman Baker: holding answer 14 January 2014
	In 2012, 191 horses and other equids were used in animal scientific procedures in Great Britain. The Home Office expects to publish statistics for 2013 in June/July 2014.
	The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland (DHSSPSNI) separately publishes figures for Northern Ireland. In 2012, seven horses and other equids were used in animal scientific procedures in Northern Ireland.
	The publication of 2013 statistics for Northern Ireland is a matter for DHSSPSNI.

Domestic Violence

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to reduce levels of domestic violence in (a) Coventry, (b) the west midlands and (c) England; and what assistance her Department offers to victims of domestic violence.

Norman Baker: holding answer 20 January 2014
	The coalition Government's approach to tackling domestic violence and abuse is set out in our Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and supporting action plan 2013. We have ring-fenced nearly £40 million of stable funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. This helps fund 144 Independent Domestic Violence Advisers and 54 Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference Co-ordinators across England and Wales.
	The Home Office has provided funding to domestic violence and abuse services in the West Midlands, and this includes support for 15 Independent Domestic Violence Advisers and four Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference co-ordinators across the West Midlands as a whole, including one such adviser in Coventry.

Driving Under Influence: Drugs

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many roadside drug analysis machines are in active use in (a) total and (b) each police force.

Norman Baker: There are currently no roadside drug screening devices available to police forces.
	Type approval work is ongoing to make suitable devices available for procurement by the police. The Home Office has issued a specification for a roadside screening device. Manufacturers have been invited to submit a device that meets this specification and a number of devices are currently undergoing testing. This work is due to be completed as close as possible to the introduction of the new offence of driving with more than a specified amount of a specified drug in the body, which is due to be introduced this summer.

Drugs: Misuse

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written statement from the Minister for Crime Prevention of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 22WS, on drug policy, whether she has received indications from other EU member states that they intend to opt out of the Commission's proposed directive on new psychoactive substances.

Norman Baker: holding answer 17 January 2014
	Ireland is the only member state that shares our Justice and Home Affairs Opt-in and Schengen Opt-out (Protocols 21 and 19 to the EU Treaties) status.
	To date, we have not received any indication that Ireland intends to opt out of either of the Commission's recent proposals on new psychoactive substances.
	There are a number of other member states who share our concerns on the legal base and we are working closely with them to negotiate effectively at the Horizontal Drugs Group in Brussels.

Human Trafficking

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the selection criteria for first responders to the National Referral Mechanism; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is a framework for identifying victims of trafficking and enabling them to access care and support. There are no written criteria for first responders to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).
	Those applying for first responder status are asked to provide evidence of their understanding and support of the NRM process; show a sound knowledge of human trafficking and how their work routinely brings them into direct contact with individuals who could be victims of trafficking; and demonstrate how a direct referral relationship would add value to existing processes.
	On 3 December, the Secretary of State for the Home Department announced a review of the NRM. The detail and terms of reference for the review are being considered at the moment.

Vetting

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what target she has set for the uptake of the Disclosure and Barring Service's Update Service by employers and organisations; and what assessment she has made of the rate of progress towards that target.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office did not set a target for the Disclosure and Barring Service's Update Service. As a result, there is no target against which progress could be assessed.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many EU directives her Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in her Department’s area of responsibility in the same period.

Helen Grant: Since January 2010, DCMS has transposed four EU directives into UK law; and four EU regulations have come into effect within its areas of responsibility.

Marriage

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to bring into force section 9 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 which allows the conversion of civil partnerships in marriage.

Helen Grant: As the Government announced on 10 December 2013, we are working hard to ensure that couples wanting to convert their civil partnerships into marriages are able to do so as soon as possible. We aim to do this before the end of 2014.

Museums and Galleries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 371W, on museums and galleries, which legislation governs the (a) Geffrye museum and (b) Horniman museum and gardens.

Edward Vaizey: The Geffrye museum and the Horniman museum and gardens are not governed by specific legislation. They are companies limited by guarantee, governed by Memoranda and Articles of Association, and are registered as charities with the Charity Commission.

Public Expenditure

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in what areas of her Department’s spending reductions of 1.17% in 2014-15 and 1.13% in 2015-16 will be found.

Helen Grant: With the exception of budgets for minority language broadcasting and contractually committed PFI schemes, these budget reductions were applied equally across all of the Department’s budgets and those of its arm’s length bodies. Specific spending plans for 2014-15 and 2015-16 will now be made by each organisation against these reduced budgets.

Sports: National Lottery

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to improve the transparency of national governing bodies of lottery-funded sports.

Helen Grant: Sport England has a comprehensive assurance system to oversee the use of public money invested in national governing bodies of sports. The system uses a range of tools including (i) quarterly finance and governance reviews; (ii) biannual reviews of performance against award agreements; (iii) biannual publication of the Active People Survey participation targets; (iv) an annual payment by results process; (v) annual self-assurance submission and action planning to ensure good governance; (vi) on-site inspection of every NGB at least once over a four year period.

Swimming

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many local authority swimming pool operators in the UK have implemented the ASA Aquatics Pathway scheme since its introduction.

Helen Grant: Since 2010, 707 local authority pools in England have implemented the ASA Aquatics Pathway. As sport is a devolved matter, ASA Aquatics Pathway schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the relevant Sports Council.

Swimming

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from amateur swimming clubs that closed because they have not been permitted to teach swimming to beginners through the ASA Aquatics Pathway scheme.

Helen Grant: DCMS has not received any such representations from amateur swimming clubs. Where circumstances change around the delivery of learn to swim programmes, the ASA provides advice and support to clubs on a case-by-case basis.

Swimming

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many amateur swimming clubs operated in local authority swimming pools in (a) 2013, (b) 2012 and (c) 2011.

Helen Grant: Neither Sport England nor the Amateur Swimming Association collect data on the number of swimming clubs operating in local authority swimming pools.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy: Finance

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much private sector investment the Government has attracted since 2010 to help provide long-term sustainable energy solutions.

Michael Fallon: DECC estimates suggest that there has been almost £40 billion investment in the electricity sector overall (generation and networks) since 2010; since November 2012 around £20 billion worth of generation projects have achieved development consent, with the capacity to generate electricity for over 6 million homes.

Energy: Prices

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the financial effect of Ofgem's decision to remove the prompt payment discount.

Michael Fallon: Ofgem's rules to standardise discounts across suppliers and ban discounts that are dependent on consumers' behaviour, such as prompt payment discounts are part of a package of reforms to the retail energy market so consumers face simpler tariff choices and receive clearer information.
	The Department has not estimated the specific financial effect of removing the prompt payment discount, but Ofgem has estimated that the overall package of retail market reforms will result overall consumer benefit of £334 million a year.

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department's area of responsibility in the same period.

Gregory Barker: Since 2010, the Department has transposed eight EU directives into UK law. Two directives have been transposed without the need for new legislation.
	Details of all EU legislation, including EU regulations which have come into force since 2010, can be found on the Commission's website:
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu/RECH_legislation.do

Fracking

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the Environment Agency will be able to apply cost recovery to companies wishing to operate wells for hydraulic fracturing of shale gas.

Dan Rogerson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	The Environment Agency's work to regulate individual shale gas sites is financed through the charges raised for environmental permits and licences. Operators of shale gas sites will submit an initial application fee, followed by a yearly 'subsistence' fee, which is used to ensure compliance with permit conditions.

Fracking

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what liability regime will cover operators of hydraulic fracturing wells to extract shale gas.

Michael Fallon: The operator is liable for any damage or pollution which his operations may cause. An operator's liability to prevent and remediate environmental damage is set out in the Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) Regulations 2009. These regulations implement the Environmental Liability Directive (Directive 2004/35/EC).
	When operations finish, the operator is responsible for safe abandonment of the well(s) and for restoring the well-site to its previous state or a suitable condition for re-use. The relevant planning authority will require suitable restoration of the site as a condition of the planning permission.
	DECC is discussing with industry arrangements to ensure that site restoration and aftercare will be secure even in the event that the operator goes out of business.

Fracking

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of fracking to the energy mix in the UK.

Michael Fallon: The future role of gas in our energy mix will be influenced by the complex interplay of a number of factors including commitments on carbon reduction; the potential of new technology (such as Carbon Capture and Storage); the need to maintain energy security; and market-led decisions based on price.

Fracking: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs created by the fracking industry in Yorkshire and the Humber in the next 10 years.

Michael Fallon: The Department has not made such an estimate.
	In a May 2013 report, the Institute of Directors estimated that UK shale production could support 74,000 jobs.

Plutonium

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether any plutonium created in UK civilian (a) commercial reactors and (b) research reactors has been put to use in (i) nuclear weapons in the UK or elsewhere and (ii) other military uses since each reactor type first started operating in the UK.

Philip Dunne: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
	This was addressed in a Ministry of Defence April 2000 report on historical accounting and plutonium, a summary of which is available in the National Archives at the following link:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20060130214247/http://www.mod.uk/publications/nuclear_weapons/accounting.htm
	Plutonium for nuclear weapons was produced in the UK defence reactors at the Windscale Piles, Calder hall and Chapelcross. The UK Government announced a moratorium on the production of nuclear materials for explosive purposes in 1995.
	Since the 1998 Strategic Defence Review, all reprocessing in the UK has been conducted under the Euratom/International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards agreement. There have been some withdrawals of plutonium from safeguards, for analysis, temporary handling or processing when such services were not available in the civilian sector. It is not possible to determine where this plutonium was created. These withdrawals are of a type and quantity not suitable for weapons use; information can be found on the Office of Nuclear Regulation website at the following link:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/safeguards/withdrawals.htm

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Catering

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what guidelines are issued to catering outlets in the House on the provision of healthy food and drink.

John Thurso: The House of Commons joined the Public Health Responsibility Deal on 2 August 2013 and as such has committed to the Healthier Staff Restaurant Pledge. This includes the following:
	Ensuring the availability of healthier foods and beverages in all available channels to employees.
	Reformulating recipes to provide meals which are lower in fat, salt and energy and do not contain artificial trans fats.
	Provision of responsibly sized portions of foods.
	Provision and promotion of the consumption of fruit and vegetables through availability and price promotion.
	Ensuring that water is visible and freely available.
	The Director of Catering Services would be happy to discuss these matters with the right hon. Member.

Chocolate

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what the value of chocolate confectionery products purchased in the House was in each year since 2005.

John Thurso: Since 2009 House of Commons Catering Services has purchased the following chocolate confectionery products for resale. Figures are no longer available for earlier periods.
	
		
			 Calendar year Wholesale value of chocolate confectionery purchases (£) 
			 2009 44,692 
			 2010 39,487 
			 2011 41,710 
			 2012 41,951 
			 2013 39,920 
			 Total Purchases 207,760

Pay

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent discussions he has had with contractors providing services to the House on their duty to monitor the undertakings of subcontractors, including payment of the London Living Wage to all staff.

John Thurso: Contract and project managers have contacted contractors to explain the Commission's undertaking to this House and to Citizens UK to ensure, to the extent permitted by law, that anyone providing services to the House, including their subcontractors, pays their staff a living wage. Where instances of such staff being paid less than a living wage have been identified, our managers have made the Commission's policy clear to the contractor and inquired about any obstacles to payment. This is the stage we are at with the two subcontractors we have identified as not paying a living wage—both of whom have bases outside London.

Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment he has made of (a) job satisfaction, (b) absenteeism rates and (c) staff turnover rates of staff of the House.

John Thurso: The 2013 staff survey reported that 58% of respondents said that they were satisfied with their job, and 88% were proud to work for the House Service, in 2012-13 the average days lost to sickness absence per employee was six and the turnover rate was 15.1 %.

Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment he has made of the potential for the provision of mindfulness for the staff of the House in improving well-being.

John Thurso: The Safety, Health and Wellbeing service (SHWS) offers a range of interventions and programmes to improve the well-being of House staff. Individuals will be signposted towards mindfulness programmes where this would be of benefit. The cognitive behavioural therapy element of mindfulness is also offered where appropriate. The Welfare team have found the principles of mindfulness a useful tool for improving the well-being for those staff who present with anxiety or depression.
	SHWS have an active mental health awareness agenda, and the Learning and Development and Diversity teams work with SHWS to assess and promote well-being among staff.

Sugar

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what the value of sugar purchased for consumption in the House of Commons was in each year since 2005.

John Thurso: The volume and value of sugar purchased for consumption in the House of Commons since 2009 is set out as follows. Figures for earlier years are no longer available.
	
		
			 Calendar year Volume (kg) Value (£) 
			 2009 5,445 11,145.00 
			 2010 5,357 10,455.07 
			 2011 6,022 11,842.81 
			 2012 5,628 10,270.70 
			 2013 5,844 10,271.65

Sugar

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of beverages sold in the House of Commons were sugar-free in each year since 2005.

John Thurso: The sugar-free share of sales by House of Commons Catering Services of non-alcoholic drinks in cans and bottles has been as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage of Total Gross Sales 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 12 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 12 
			 April 2012 to March 2013 10 
			 April 2013 to December 2013 10 
		
	
	Sales records prior to April 2010 are not held; these figures include sales of bottled water.

Sugar

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of the products on sale in vending machines in the House are sugar-free or low in sugar.

John Thurso: Of the 40 items that were stocked in the vending machines on 22 January, 13 items were either:
	Low sugar—Nut and seed mix
	No sugar—Diet Coke/water
	No added sugar—Dried fruit/plain crisps/ fruit juices
	This equates to 33% of the items on sale being either sugar free, low in sugar or no added sugar.
	Catering Services will continue to monitor the demand for healthier snacks over the coming months.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Derelict Land: Greater London

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much brownfield land is available for development in the London area; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Boles: According to the National Land Use Database, there were an estimated 3,660 hectares of brownfield land in London that might have been available for redevelopment in 2010.
	Development of this land would have been dependent on the viability of the sites.

Empty Property: Shops

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of high street vacancy rates.

Brandon Lewis: My Department does not collect or publish data relating to high street vacancy rates. There are several commercial sources of shop vacancy rates data available, including from the Local Data Company and Springboard, who publish overall trends in the public domain.
	I note that recent figures from the Local Data Company show that the number of empty shops on the UK high street fell to 13.9% in December 2013, after remaining stable in the second half of 2013.
	In December we announced a range of powerful new measures to provide the tools for the public and private sectors to transform their town centres for their local communities in England.
	These include the biggest business rates support package for over 20 years, (including a new 50% discount for 18 months for new occupiers of retail premises that have been vacant for a year or more, and a new £1,000 discount for shops, restaurants and pubs with a rateable value of £50,000 or less), banning CCTV for penalty parking fines and allowing residents and firms to review parking policies, a freeze on parking penalty charges, a review of Business Improvement Districts a call for evidence on red tape, and support for the digital high streets.
	We also announced that we will consult on further simplifications in planning rules, allowing changes from retail to restaurant use and to various leisure uses, making it easier to find new uses for vacant premises. This is on top of our earlier reforms: we have allowed premises to convert temporarily to a range of other uses for of up two years, and recently consulted on further permitted development including allowing change of use to housing from shops that are no longer viable. These will allow businesses to respond quickly to market conditions.

Enterprise Zones

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the National Audit Office report, Funding and structures for local economic growth, published on 6 December 2013, for what reasons the Government have revised its estimate of the number of jobs to be created in enterprise zones by 2015.

Kris Hopkins: The enterprise zone job figures set out in the National Audit Office report were based upon early estimates made by the zones themselves in 2011. As the programme has progressed, we have developed estimates which reflect zone's revised delivery ambitions and actual market conditions.

Fracking

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received on planning applications in respect of fracking; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Boles: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has received less than 10 representations relating to specific planning applications for the exploration of shale gas over the last four months.
	Shale gas has the potential to provide the UK with greater energy security, growth and jobs. The locally-led planning system will ensure that new development, including the key exploratory phase of the extraction of shale gas, is appropriate for its location. The planning system is accompanied by separate environmental and health and safety provisions (overseen by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, by the Environment Agency and by the Health and Safety Executive) ensuring that a robust, comprehensive and safe regulatory regime is in place.

Housing: Construction

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what proportion of housing development has taken place on (a) greenbelt and (b) brownfield land in each of the last 20 years in England; and how many (i) housing units and (ii) hectares of land this figure represents;
	(2)  how many hectares of land in England have been (a) declassified and (b) classified as greenbelt in each of the last 20 years.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 14 January 2014
	Figures are not centrally held for the change in the classification of green belt over each of the last 20 years.
	However, historic statistics on new dwellings built and associated area of land developed within the green belt, and on brownfield (previously-developed) land, are published on my Department's website at Live Tables P211, P213, P226 and P246.
	www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-land-use-change-statistics
	In particular, I would note that the level of green belt development (measured by the total land area changing to residential use within the green belt) is at its lowest since, the figures began in 1989, as the following table illustrates:
	
		
			  Hectares 
			 1989 210 
			 1990 370 
			 1991 160 
			 1992 210 
			 1993 170 
			 1994 190 
			 1995 210 
			 1996 180 
			 1997 220 
			 1998 230 
			 1999 1- 
			 2000 320 
			 2001 260 
			 2002 260 
			 2003 280 
			 2004 180 
			 2005 220 
			 2006 220 
			 2007 230 
			 2008 200 
			 2009 160 
			 2010 160 
			 2011 90 
			 1 Incomplete data 
		
	
	To place this in context, in 2011, the green belt in England had an estimated area of 1,639,540 hectares (hence 90 hectares represents 0.005% of England's green belt).
	Moreover, I would observe that in 2011, 71% of all new dwellings within the green belt were built on previously developed land, reflecting the fact that there is brownfield land within green belt boundaries that can be reasonably redeveloped, provided it does not harm the openness of the green belt.
	The green belt has a valuable role protecting against urban sprawl and providing a green lung round our towns and cities. The National Planning Policy Framework, which safeguards national green belt protection, explains how the green belt serves to:
	check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;
	prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another;
	assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;
	preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and
	assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.
	This Government have abolished the Labour Government's top-down regional strategies which sought to delete or undermine green belt protection in 30 towns and cities across England.
	In addition, as outlined in the written statements of 1 July 2013, Official Report, columns 24-25WS, and 17 January 2014, Official Report, columns 33-34WS, our planning policy on traveller sites states that both temporary and permanent Traveller sites are inappropriate development in green belt.
	Those statements also made clear that unmet need, whether for traveller sites or for conventional housing, is unlikely to outweigh harm to the green belt and other harm to constitute the “very special circumstances” justifying inappropriate development in the green belt.

Temporary Accommodation: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families were based in temporary accommodation in (a) Barrow-in-Furness and (b) South Lakeland in each quarter of the last five years.

Kris Hopkins: Snapshot figures of households in temporary accommodation, which were recorded on the last day of each quarter, are provided in the following tables.
	
		
			 Barrow-in-Furness 
			   Of which: 
			 As at: Households in temporary accommodation Include dependent children/pregnant mothers 
			 31 December 2008 11 7 
			 31 March 2009 8 5 
			 30 June 2009 11 6 
			 30 September 2009 14 6 
			 31 December 2009 4 2 
			 31 March 2010 11 5 
			 30 June 2010 12 5 
			 30 September 2010 13 5 
			 31 December 2010 14 6 
			 31 March 2011 10 5 
			 30 June 2011 10 10 
			 30 September 2011 11 8 
			 31 December 2011 12 6 
			 31 March 2012 12 6 
		
	
	
		
			 30 June 2012 13 6 
			 30 September 2012 18 6 
			 31 December 2012 13 0 
			 31 March 2013 8 2 
			 30 June 2013 5 1 
			 30 September 2013 5 1 
		
	
	
		
			 South Lakeland 
			   Of which: 
			 As at: Households in temporary accommodation Include dependent children/pregnant mothers 
			 31 December 2008 27 13 
			 31 March 2009 28 16 
			 30 June 2009 22 13 
			 30 September 2009 31 11 
			 31 December 2009 30 14 
			 31 March 2010 19 15 
			 30 June 2010 12 8 
			 30 September 2010 24 12 
			 31 December 2010 18 7 
			 31 March 2011 26 12 
			 30 June 2011 13 6 
			 30 September 2011 19 9 
			 31 December 2011 14 6 
			 31 March 2012 11 4 
			 30 June 2012 13 5 
			 30 September 2012 6 2 
			 31 December 2012 8 1 
			 31 March 2013 n/a n/a 
			 30 June 2013 9 2 
			 30 September 2013 9 2 
			 n/a = Data not available. 
		
	
	This Government have retained a strong homelessness safety net protected in law, supported by £470 million in the current spending review period to prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. We are seeing this investment making an impact with homeless families now spending seven months less in temporary accommodation than since the start of 2010.
	We have also made some changes to the rules under the Localism Act to enable local authorities to help households move more quickly into a settled home. This means households will no longer need to be placed in temporary accommodation while they wait for social housing to become available.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to her Burmese counterpart on minimising threats to humanitarian staff and aid operations in Rakhine state.

Alan Duncan: I raised the issue of safe humanitarian access in Rakhine state during my visit in June 2013. In December 2013, a delegation including DFID staff and led by the UK ambassador, raised concerns over threats to humanitarian staff with the Rakhine state Chief Minister directly, and with the township administrator in Myebon—which has been the scene of tensions between local communities and an international non-governmental organisation.
	DFID funds the secondment of an expert into the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Rakhine state who focuses on building relations between local communities and international organisations in order to facilitate safe access for humanitarian agencies. UK officials regularly raise the issue of access in Rakhine state with Government officials and UN partners.

Developing Countries: Genetically Modified Organisms

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2013, Official Report, column 366W, on developing countries: genetically modified organisms, when she expects to be able to assess the results of those independent studies.

Lynne Featherstone: Golden Rice is still under development and is subject to rigorous evaluation processes. DFID will not be in a position to assess the results of the independent evaluation studies expected towards the end of 2016.

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many EU directives her Department and non-departmental public body has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in her Department's area of responsibility in the same period.

Lynne Featherstone: There have been no EU directives falling under DFID's remit since 2010 which require transposition into UK law, and similarly no directly acting EU regulations.

Military Aid

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much official development assistance funding, adjusted participation was allocated to the Ministry of Defence in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13.

Alan Duncan: Official development assistance (ODA) is reported on a calendar year basis. DFID holds records for ODA expenditure by the MOD for 2011 and 2012. In 2011, the MOD spent £4.9 million, and in 2012, £5 million on ODA.

Rwanda

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's work in Rwanda.

Lynne Featherstone: The Department undertook assessments of the impact of the DFID programme in Rwanda at the time of the decisions on general budget support disbursements in 2012 and 2013, when we paid close attention to the effectiveness of our interventions and the impact of our decisions. the Secretary of State for International Development, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), also visited Rwanda in June 2013 and assessed the impact of our programme at first hand.

EDUCATION

Academies: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which academy schools in Bassetlaw constituency have been referred to his Department for investigation in the last 12 months; and what the (a) reasons for and (b) outcomes of such investigations were.

Edward Timpson: There have been two parental complaints about academies in Bassetlaw in the last 12 months. The Minister for Schools, the right hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr Laws), wrote to you about one of these on 16 August 2013. We are currently reviewing the second.

Education: Finance

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) national and (b) local revenue expenditure on (i) primary, (ii) secondary and (iii) special school pupils is in (A) Coventry local authority area and (B) England.

Edward Timpson: Latest figures on both the income and expenditure of local authority maintained schools in England and the income and expenditure of local authorities on their education, children’s and young people’s services for the financial year April 2012 to March 2013 were published on 12 December at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/la-and-school-expenditure-financial-year-2012-to-2013

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the pupil premium on the educational attainment of eligible children in Coventry.

David Laws: It is still early in the implementation of the pupil premium to consider the full impact of those pupils currently eligible for free school meals (FSM) who have attracted pupil premium funding since April 2011 and the wider group of disadvantaged pupils funded from April 2012, defined by whether they have been eligible of free school meals at any point in the last six years or if they are looked after for six months or more.
	Key Stage 4:
	Nationally, attainment of both FSM pupils and their non-FSM peers has improved between 2008 and 2013, with the gap narrowing between 2008 and 2012. In Coventry, attainment for FSM eligible pupils improved significantly between 2008 and 2013; in 2013 attainment for other pupils fell slightly, leading to a decrease in the gap to 24.6 percentage points (versus 27.0 in 2011).
	Key Stage 2:
	Between 2012 and 2013 attainment of both FSM pupils and their non-FSM peers has improved both nationally and in Coventry, with the gap narrowing. An assessment cannot be made over a longer time period due to changes in the assessment measures.
	
		
			 Key stage 4 time series for achievement of 5+ A*-C grades including English and mathematics, for FSM eligible and all other pupils, 2008-12 
			 Percentage 
			 Coventry 
			 Coventry Key Stage 4 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 FSM eligible 18.8 23.6 29.4 32.6 35.3 35.8 
			 All other pupils 46.4 52.8 56.2 59.6 64.2 60.4 
			 FSM gap 27.6 29.2 26.8 27.0 28.9 24.6 
		
	
	
		
			 National 
			 National Key Stage 4 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 FSM 23.8 26.6 31.2 34.6 36.3 37.9 
			 All other pupils 51.7 54.3 58.8 62.0 62.6 64.6 
			 FSM gap 27.9 27.7 27.6 27.4 26.3 26.7 
		
	
	Key Stage 2
	At Key Stage 2, due to discontinuities in the time series for the headline measure (percentage achieving the expected level in reading, writing and maths), I have provided figures for achievement of the expected level in mathematics, which has been consistent over a longer time period.
	Both nationally and in Coventry, attainment for both FSM eligible and all other pupils increased in 2013, and the gap decreased slightly.
	
		
			 Key Stage 2 time series for achievement of level 4 or above in reading, writing and maths, for FSM eligible and all other pupils, 2012-13 
			 Percentage 
			  Coventry National 
			 Key Stage 2 2013 2012 2013 2012 
			 FSM 55 54 60.1 58.8 
			 All other pupils 75 75 78.8 77.9 
			 FSM gap 20 21 18.7 19.1 
		
	
	As the reading, writing and maths time series only goes back to 2012 due to the change in the headline measure (from English and mathematics) a longer time series for mathematics alone is shown as follows.
	
		
			 KS2 time series for achievement of level 4 or above in maths for FSM eligible and all other pupils, 2010-13 
			 Percentage 
			 Coventry 
			 Coventry Key Stage 2 2013 2012 2011 20101 
			 FSM 68 68 65 66 
			 All other pupils 84 84 82 83 
			 FSM gap 16 16 17 17 
		
	
	
		
			 National 
			 National Key Stage 2 2013 2012 2011 20101 
			 FSM 74.0 72.7 67.2 66.0 
			 All other pupils 87.1 86.6 83.3 82.8 
			 FSM gap 13.1 13.9 16.1 16.8 
			 1 Due to boycotts of Key Stage 2 tests in 2010, data does not represent results for all pupils in the 2010 Key Stage 2 cohort.

Schools: Nurses

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many qualified school nurses there were in (a) Portsmouth South constituency and (b) Hampshire in each of the last three years.

David Laws: The following table shows the number of nurses employed in schools in Portsmouth South constituency and in schools in the former Hampshire local authority area including Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton local authority areas in each year since November 2010.
	
		
			  November 
			  2010 2011 2012 
			 Portsmouth South constituency 0 0 1 
			 Former Hampshire local authority area 14 16 19 
		
	
	
		
			 Hampshire local authority 12 14 15 
			 Portsmouth local authority 1 1 2 
			 Southampton local authority 1 1 2 
			 Source: School Workforce Census. 
		
	
	The Department is unable to confirm which nursing qualifications these schools/LA employees hold.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Food

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average daily cost of feeding a member of the armed forces on deployment is.

Philip Dunne: The current daily budget allowance for feeding armed forces personnel on operations, known as the Operational Daily Messing Rate, is £3.36 per person. This does not include the cost of transporting, preparing, cooking or serving meals. This is an approximate figure based upon 90 raw ingredients assessed as necessary to provide the calories and nutrition on a daily basis. Clearly wholesale procurement and lower costs of food in some locations ensures the daily allowance can be kept low.

Army

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) established and (b) actual strength was of the (i) regular and (ii) reserve personnel in the (A) Royal Armoured Corps, (B) Household Cavalry Regiment, (C) 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, (D) Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, (E) Royal Dragoon Guards, (F) merged unit of the Queen's Own Hussars and the Royal Irish Hussars, (G) merged unit of the 9/12th Royal Lancers and the Queen's Royal Lancers, (H) The King's Royal Hussars, (I) Light Dragoons, (J) Queen's Royal Lancers, (K) 1st Royal Tank Regiment and (L) 2nd Royal Tank Regiment on 1 January 2014.

Anna Soubry: Under Army 2020 the size of the Regular Army is reducing from 102,000 to 82,500 by 2018. Changes to both establishments and unit strengths are being implemented in stages. As a result, there will be a disparity between some unit establishments and strengths over the next few years until the new Army 2020 structure is fully in place.
	The establishment and strength for the relevant units, as at 1 December 2013, the latest date at which strength information is available, is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Current establishment A2020 establishment Regular strength Reserve strength 
			 Royal Armoured Corps 4,642 3,950 5,020 0 
			 Household Cavalry Regiment 419 416 380 0 
			 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards 321 315 280 0 
			 Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 449 315 330 10 
			 Royal Dragoon Guards 396 416 340 0 
			 Merged unit of the Queen's Own Hussars and the Royal Irish Hussars — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Queen's Royal Hussars 449 456 360 0 
			 Merged unit of the 9/12th Royal Lancers and the Queen's Royal Lancers — 416 — — 
			 9/12th Royal Lancers 321 — 270 0 
			 The King's Royal Hussars 435 456 400 0 
			 Light Dragoons 414 315 350 0 
			 Queen's Royal Lancers 415 — 350 0 
			 1st Royal Tank Regiment 337 456 310 0 
			 2nd Royal Tank Regiment 435 456 360 0 
		
	
	The establishment and strength figures comprise only those officers and soldiers from that unit's specific arm or corps, i.e. Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps, and thus exclude any supporting personnel from other corps.
	Of the units listed, only the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards have any reserve personnel serving with them. These personnel are held against the regular unit establishment.
	No figures have been included for the merged unit of the Queen's Own Hussars and the Royal Irish Hussars, as this merger occurred on 1 September 1993. The figures for the resulting unit, Queen's Royal Hussars, have been included.
	No figure has been included for the merged unit of the 9/12th Royal Lancers and the Queen's Royal Lancers, as this merger does not occur until May 2015. The figures for the two individual units have been included.
	It should be noted that, while the overall trend is for A2020 establishment figures to decrease, some units will increase in size under A2020 due to their change in role.

Army

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) established and (b) actual strength was of the (i) regular and (ii) reserve personnel in the (A) 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards, (B) 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards, (C) 1st Battalion, Scots Guards, (D) 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, (E) 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards, (F) 1st Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, (G) 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, (H) 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, (I) 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, (J) 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, (K) 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, (L) 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and (M) 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment on 1 January 2014.

Anna Soubry: Under Army 2020 the size of the Regular Army is reducing from 102,000 to 82,500 by 2018. Changes to both establishments and unit strengths are being implemented in stages. As a result, there will be a disparity between some unit establishments and strengths over the next few years until the new Army 2020 structure is fully in place.
	The establishment and strength for the relevant units, as at 1 December 2013, the latest date at which strength information is available, is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Current establishment A2020 establishment Strength 
			 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards 571 594 580 
			 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards 584 594 610 
			 1st Battalion, Scots Guards 706 698 640 
			 1st Battalion, Irish Guards 447 501 450 
			 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards 503 505 506 
			 1st Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment 505 505 600 
			 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland 501 501 540 
			 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland 501 501 560 
			 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland 505 505 550 
			 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland 606 605 630 
			 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland 99 99 170 
			 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 612 612 530 
			 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 501 612 500 
		
	
	The establishment and strength figures comprise only those officers and soldiers from that unit's specific arm or corps, i.e. infantry, and thus exclude any supporting personnel from other corps.
	None of the units listed currently have any reserve personnel serving with them.
	It should be noted that, while the overall trend is for A2020 establishment figures to decrease, some units will increase in size under A2020 due to their change in role.

Army

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) established and (b) actual strength was of the (i) regular and (ii) reserve personnel in the (A) 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, (B) 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, (C) 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, (D) 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment, (E) 2nd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment, (F) 1st Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, (G) 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, (H) 3rd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, (I) 1st Battalion, Royal Welsh, (J) 2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh, (K) 1st Battalion, Mercian Regiment, (L) 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment, (M) 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment, (N) 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment, (O) 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, (P) 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, (Q) 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, (R) 2nd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, (S) 1st Battalion, The Rifles, (T) 2nd Battalion, The Rifles, (U) 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, (V) 4th Battalion, The Rifles and (W) 5th Battalion, The Rifles on 1 January 2014.

Anna Soubry: Under Army 2020 the size of the Regular Army is reducing from 102,000 to 82,500 by 2018. Changes to both establishments and unit strengths are being implemented in stages. As a result, there will be a disparity between some unit establishments and strengths over the next few years until the new Army 2020 structure is fully in place.
	The establishment and strength for the relevant units, as at 1 December 2013, the latest date at which strength information is available, is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Current establishment A2020 establishment Regular strength Reserve strength 
			 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment 501 501 560 0 
			 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 612 612 580 0 
			 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 469 - 470 0 
			 1st Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment 612 612 670 0 
			 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment 505 501 600 0 
			 3rd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment - - - - 
			 1st Battalion, Royal Welsh 231 612 320 0 
			 2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh 612 - 650 0 
			 1st Battalion, Mercian Regiment 612 612 440 0 
			 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment 501 501 480 0 
			 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment 472 - 560 20 
			 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment 505 505 560 0 
			 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment 501 501 550 10 
			 2nd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment 505 505 550 0 
			 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment 593 593 520 0 
			 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment 593 593 530 0 
			 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles 518 563 540 0 
			 2nd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles 584 499 550 0 
			 1st Battalion, The Rifles 501 501 510 0 
			 2nd Battalion, The Rifles 501 501 550 0 
			 3rd Battalion, The Rifles 505 505 540 0 
			 4th Battalion, The Rifles 606 605 590 0 
			 5th Battalion, The Rifles 612 612 650 0 
		
	
	The establishment and strength figures, comprise only those officers and soldiers from that unit's specific Arm or Corps, ie Infantry, and thus exclude any supporting personnel from other Corps.
	Of the units listed, only 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment and 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment have any Reserve personnel serving with them. These personnel are held against the Regular unit establishment.
	It should be noted that, while the overall trend is for A2020 establishment figures to decrease, some units will increase in size under A2020 due to their change in role.

Army: Recruitment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Minister in his Department gave authority for the decision for the Recruiting Partnering Project for Army recruitment in 2011.

Anna Soubry: The Initial Gate Business Case was approved in July 2008 under the previous Government.
	The Main Gate Business Case for the Recruiting Partnering Project was approved in November 2011 by the then Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan).

Army: South East

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many regular force army redundancies he plans to make in the south-east.

Anna Soubry: There has been no announcement made in regard to any future plans for regular army redundancies beyond those, already announced under Tranches 1, 2 and 3 of the Armed Forces Redundancy Programme.
	However, it should be noted that the selection of personnel for redundancy is not made on the basis of geographical location. Service personnel move between posts and locations regularly, and the location at which they will be serving on their final day of service may be different from that at which they were notified.

Burma

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the training of the Burmese army provided by his Department was (a) requested by the government of Burma or (b) initiated by the UK Government.

Andrew Murrison: Military Engagement with the Burmese armed forces (the Tatmadaw) is an important part of HMG's wider policy on supporting democratic change in Burma. The educational course that was recently delivered in Burma was recommended by HMG after a consultative process. We held regular discussions about military engagement from mid-2012 onwards with members of Government, Parliament, ethnic leaders from political parties and armed groups, and religious and civil society organisations, both inside Burma and in Thailand. The discussions during 2013 made specific mention of this course.
	The course has been delivered around the world over a 14-year period to 101 nationalities. It is exported annually to 12 prioritised nations or regions across the world from Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and to South America. The delivery of this course in Burma has been broadly welcomed by groups on all sides.

Burma

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what monitoring his Department plans to undertake to ensure that Burmese army soldiers trained by the UK are not subsequently involved in human rights abuses.

Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November 2013, Official Report, column 210W, by the Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois).

Chemical Weapons: Cheshire

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the nature is of the contract between the Government and Veolia Environmental Services in respect of the destruction of chemical weapons at Ellesmere Port;
	(2)  with reference to the Government's contract with Veolia Environmental Services in respect of the destruction of chemical weapons at Ellesmere Port, what the nature is of the material to be destroyed; whether it is all in solid or liquid phase; and whether any ordnance will come to Ellesmere Port;
	(3)  with reference to the Government's contract with Veolia Environmental Services in respect of the destruction of chemical weapons at Ellesmere Port, what steps he is taking to ensure the safe transit of the chemical weapons within the UK; and which other sites are being utilised for this purpose;
	(4)  with reference to the Government's contract with Veolia Environmental Services in respect of the destruction of chemical weapons at Ellesmere Port, whether the process involves any (a) discharge to local water courses and (b) risk of any of the material venting to the atmosphere in a toxic state;
	(5)  with reference to the Government's contract with Veolia Environmental Services in respect of the destruction of chemical weapons at Ellesmere Port, whether the Government will require any oversight of the process other than that previously applied to the site.

Philip Dunne: No chemical weapon agents will be brought to the UK for destruction, no ordnance or munitions, and no explosives. As part of the international effort to destroy Syria's chemical weapons programme, in support of UN Security Council Resolution 2118, the UK has agreed to destroy 150 tonnes of two industrial grade chemicals from Syria. Both these chemicals are chloroamines, with very similar chemical properties, and are referred to as "B" precursors. These chemicals are no more toxic than many other chemicals that are routinely manufactured, processed and destroyed in the UK under standard regulatory and security measures. One of the two chemicals is used as an intermediate for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, and identical chemicals were imported into the UK in 2012 for this purpose. The “B” chemicals would become highly toxic only if mixed with an “A” precursor to make V-type nerve agents. (A separate tender process, managed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, will determine how other chemicals from Syria, including the "A" chemicals, will be destroyed.)
	The "B" chemicals will be sealed in containers under the supervision of international inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and transported in ISO containers which comply with the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. Some of the "B" chemicals are in solid and some in liquid form. The volume of liquid "B" chemicals is equivalent to some five standard road tankers; the volume of solid "B" chemicals is about half of this.
	Veolia Environmental Services Ltd was selected by MOD in 2011, following competition, as its contractor for the management of both hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. This contract with the MOD's Disposal Services Authority is being used by the Government to facilitate the speedy destruction of the B Precursors. Veolia will destroy all these chemicals and associated packaging in its high temperature incinerator at Ellesmere Port. The operation of the incinerator at Ellesmere Port will be in accordance with the environmental permit granted by the Environment Agency, which controls the types and quantities of waste that may be handled, and includes strict limits on all emissions from the incinerator. The chemicals themselves will be destroyed in the incineration process, and the gases resulting from combustion will be treated prior to release into the atmosphere. Emissions will be monitored to ensure that releases are within the permit limits and pose no risk to safety. Veolia confirm that the process does not involve any discharge to local water courses, and that the chemicals will be passed directly into the incinerator. The operation will be subject to the routine inspection regime of the Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive. International inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will verify that the chemicals have been completely destroyed.
	All the relevant Government Departments and agencies are working closely together and with Veolia to ensure that all appropriate safety and security measures are taken throughout the process, including arrival of the chemicals in a UK port, transport within the UK, temporary storage and final destruction, to the same standards as apply to the routine handling of such chemical waste and hazardous materials. The whole operation is expected to last a few weeks.

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department's area of responsibility in the same period.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has transposed two EU directives into UK law since 2010: The EU Defence and Security Procurement Directive (2009/81/EC), and the EU Directive on the Right to Interpretation and Translation in Criminal Proceedings (2010/64/EU).
	Information on how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect since 2010 that impact upon the MOD's area of responsibility could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

European Fighter Aircraft

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 290W, on European Fighter Aircraft, if he will take steps to ascertain the precise reasons for which the United Arab Emirates chose not to pursue the acquisition of Typhoon.

Andrew Murrison: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr Dunne), gave on 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 290W, the UAE's decision to halt negotiations with BAE Systems regarding the potential purchase of Typhoon was made for purely commercial reasons. The precise circumstances that led to this conclusion are therefore a matter for BAE Systems and the Government of the UAE alone.

ICT

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions his Department's IT system used for e-mails has failed in the East of Scotland in each of the last three years.

Philip Dunne: There are a number of e-mail systems used by the Ministry of Defence and there is no business requirement to centrally hold details of individual failure reports for any of these independently managed systems. This information could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Piracy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2014, Official Report, column 444W, on piracy, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in partner nations on extending the mandates of the anti-piracy operations beyond 2014.

Mark Francois: The Secretary of State for Defence has regular discussions with his counterparts in both NATO and the EU on a wide range of issues, including counter-piracy operations. Within NATO there are regular working level discussions on the future of Operation Ocean Shield, whose mandate expires on 31 December 2014. There are a number of options under consideration for the continuation of counter-piracy activity in NATO, and a conclusion should be reached later this year.
	The Minister for International Security Strategy, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), discussed the extension of the mandate of Operation Atalanta with counterparts from EU member states at the 19 November EU Foreign Affairs Council (Defence). He advocated an extension of the mandate from December 2014 until December 2016 and we expect the Council to make a decision later this year.

Reserve Forces: National Insurance Contributions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will pay the national insurance contributions of reservists employed by small and medium-sized enterprises who are mobilised for operational commitments.

Anna Soubry: While mobilised, reservists are employed and paid by the Ministry of Defence, who also make the relevant employer's national insurance contributions.
	The Defence Reform Bill includes provision to make additional payments to the employers of reservists beyond those currently permitted. As set out in the White Paper “Reserves in the Future Force 2020: Valuable and Valued” (CM 8655) published in July 2013, the intention is to make payments of £500 per month for each employee of a small or medium-sized enterprise who is mobilised.

Type 23 Frigates

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what order the Surface Common Combat System Version 1 will be installed on the Type 23 fleet.

Andrew Murrison: The first fit for the Surface Common Combat System Version 1 to a Type 23 Frigate is planned for spring 2015, which will take place during a planned, routine docking period. Fits to the remainder of the Type 23 Class are scheduled to be completed in the order that the remaining ships undertake similar maintenance periods. Details of the Type 23 maintenance programme is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Common Agricultural Policy

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in other Government Departments regarding the use of Common Agricultural Policy Pillar 2 funding.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State has discussed the use of Common Agricultural Policy Pillar 2 funding with a number of ministerial colleagues. The decisions that we announced on 19 December 2013 were taken by Government collectively.

Disease Control

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department is currently conducting into potential diseases affecting wildlife which may arrive in the UK from overseas.

George Eustice: DEFRA supports an extensive programme of research on animal health and welfare (currently £25 million per year). Included in this programme is research on some diseases that infect wildlife, such as rabies, bluetongue virus and avian influenza. Further information on DEFRA-funded research can be found at:
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk/
	The research programme furthers the development of improved disease control tools and increases our understanding of these pathogens to support the development of departmental disease control policies.
	The Department also funds an extensive programme of surveillance activity to highlight possible threats to human and farmed animal health in the UK.

Floods

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to protect Sites of Special Scientific Interest which have been affected by recent floods.

Dan Rogerson: Natural England and the Environment Agency issued a joint statement before Christmas, which outlined how they intended to respond to the coastal flooding. It emphasised the urgent need to ensure people and their property were safe; recognising that for many wildlife sites, because of their natural resilience to flooding, there was time to reflect on the best long term and most sustainable solutions. DEFRA officials recently met Natural England and the Environment Agency to discuss next steps for coastal wildlife sites affected. As a result of those discussions Natural England will be carrying out an assessment of the implications for wildlife.
	The Environment Agency and Natural England will work hard with local communities, landowners and environmental NGOs to determine the appropriate solutions on a case by case basis; while taking account of the overall picture regionally and nationally. In the meantime, remedial works have already been completed on a few sites (eg Cley Marshes in North Norfolk) where these were urgent and affordable.

Floods

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Government will conduct an impact assessment of the recent flooding on Britain's wildlife.

Dan Rogerson: Natural England has been assessing the environmental impact of the storms and flooding events since the first tidal surge on 5 and 6 December 2013. It has provided regular updates to DEFRA and the Environment Agency; starting with an interim report on 7 December. Natural England's most recent report was issued on 10 January and summarises the known impacts on wildlife and conservation sites. Natural England intends to provide a further report in mid-February, which should provide a more complete picture. I will send the hon. Member a copy of the most recent report.

Fracking

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what environmental assessment he has made of the potential effects of fracking on (a) disposal of waste water at the end of the process, (b) local geology and (c) local landscapes.

Dan Rogerson: There are strict controls governing the management and disposal of waste water. Flow-back fluid can either be treated and re-used on site or taken to a permitted waste-water treatment works. Any treated water leaving the waste-water treatment works will have to comply with that works' environmental permits, which ensure protection of local people and the environment.
	An assessment of the local geology, including assessment of the location of any relevant faults, is made prior to approval of any fracking application. Operators are required to monitor seismic activity during fracking operations which must stop if tremors above normal range are detected to allow investigation. Similarly as part of any application for all environmental permissions contractors need to be able to demonstrate to the Environment Agency that they have the appropriate level of expertise for the particular site or sites in question and an understanding of the geology. A hydrological risk assessment will need to be carried out by the operator or its contractors and submitted to the Environment Agency to ensure that risks to the local geology have been identified and mitigated.
	Consideration of impact on the local landscape takes place at the planning application stage, which includes consultation with local communities.

Hill Farming

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2013, Official Report, column 292, on maintaining the current appearance of uplands, if he will amend his policy so as to support farmers to reforest upland areas across the UK; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: We will be publishing shortly a second phase response to the CAP implementation consultation, which will set out further detail on the rural development programme, including the new environmental land management scheme to replace environmental stewardship in 2015. The new scheme will build on the recognised successes of environmental stewardship, will be better targeted and deliver better environmental value for money across the farmed landscape, including the uplands.

TREASURY

Banks: Pay

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what criteria have been set by each bank in receipt of public money for qualification for senior staff bonuses; whether the Prudential Regulation Authority plays a role in the ratification of such criteria; and whether his Department has provided any guidance to the remuneration committees of such banks on bonus payments;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received opposing the payment of bonuses to employees of banks in receipt of funds from the public purse;
	(3)  what guidelines (a) UK Financial Investments and (b) the Prudential Regulation Authority have established to govern bonuses paid to senior bank executives.

Sajid Javid: The Government have not received a specific proposal from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) or Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) for this year’s remuneration round so it is not yet possible to evaluate fully the merits and implications for shareholders. It is important for taxpayers that such proposals are considered fully and properly.
	The Government work closely with UK Financial Investments (UKFI) to ensure that the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group follow best practice in setting pay levels. UKFI engages as a shareholder to ensure incentives are based on long-term, sustainable performance which rebuilds the businesses of the banks and protects value for the taxpayer as shareholder. UKFI will seek to ensure that neither bank pays any more than the minimum necessary.
	The rules governing remuneration, including bonuses paid to senior bank executives are set out in the Prudential Regulation Authority’s and Financial Conduct Authority’s Remuneration Code:
	http://fshandbook.info/FS/html/handbook/SYSC/19A

Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what information he has received from the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to the misselling of embedded swaps in fixed rate business loans by (a) Clydesdale bank and (b) Yorkshire bank;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of job losses arising through the alleged misselling of embedded swaps to businesses by the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks;
	(3)  how many fixed rate business loans which have embedded swaps sold along with the loan have been made by Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks in the last five years.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with, and receive representations from, a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the usual policy making process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such representations.
	The Treasury has not made any assessment of the job losses arising through the alleged mis-selling of embedded swaps to businesses by the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks.
	The Treasury does not know the number of embedded fixed rate business loans sold by Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks in the last five years.

Debts: Advisory Services

David Crausby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) publicise and (b) support debt advice services.

Sajid Javid: The Treasury has given the Money Advice Service (MAS) responsibility for co-ordinating and providing debt advice services. This came into effect in April 2012. In 2012-13, MAS supported the delivery of 158,000 debt advice sessions; it is on track to deliver a similar number of sessions in 2013-14. MAS works closely with its debt advice providers to determine the level of funding needed to meet the demand for debt advice.
	MAS also works closely with relevant stakeholders to increase consumer awareness of how to access free debt advice: for example, MAS has worked with the Financial Conduct Authority to develop a new requirement on all payday lenders to signpost borrowers to free debt advice services via MAS.

Debts: Advisory Services

David Crausby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent meetings his Department has held with civil society organisations on personal debt advice; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Excise Duties: Beer

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of introducing a reduced level of duty on hand pumped ales.

Nicky Morgan: EU law does not make it possible for a reduced level of duty on hand pumped ales.
	EU law only allows beer duty rates to vary according to alcohol strength by volume and the annual production of breweries. As such, it is not possible to vary duties based on how the product is sold.
	However, at Budget 2013, by taking tough choices elsewhere, the Government was able to cut beer duty and abolished the previous Government’s beer duty escalator.

Pay

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the median gross pay of (a) men and (b) women is in each pay band in his Department;
	(2)  what the median gross pay is of staff in his Department and its executive agencies in each pay band who are identified as (a) white British and (b) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups.

Nicky Morgan: The following table shows median pay for gender and ethnicity for HM Treasury which is based on the median data supplied in the 2012-13 Annual Report of Accounts:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Grade BME White Female Male 
			 Specialist 1— 135,000 128,810 137,247 
			 Grade B 20,956 19,765 20,445 20,226 
			 Grade C 24,284 24,649 24,512 24,646 
			 Grade D 29,199 30,078 30,545 29,445 
			 Grade E 46,985 48,787 48,253 49,319 
			 Grade E2 1— 61,484 63,190 61,271 
			 SCS 89,340 70,196 70,912 70,632 
		
	
	
		
			 Student 18,366 18,366 18,366 18,366 
			 1 Data is not supplied for these grades as they have less than five employees This could result in an individual's data being identified. Note: Data taken from 12/13 Annual Report of Accounts less agencies, SPADS and Ministers 
		
	
	Data have not been supplied for the Debt Management Office, HMT's executive agency, because they do not use pay bands or similar salary groups within their pay system.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what weighting his Department's procurement procedures give to (a) the location of a company and its workforce, (b) the extent to which a company has a strong environmental record, (c) whether the company is a social enterprise and (d) other company history prior performance.

Nicky Morgan: In July 2013 HM Treasury's procurement functions transferred to the Crown Commercial Service (CCS—formally the Government Procurement Service, GPS). HM Treasury decides selection criteria and weightings for procurements based on advice from CCS.
	The selection criteria and weightings in the procurement procedures used by CCS are not fixed, UK public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Public sector procurers are required to assess value for money from the perspective of the contracting authority using criteria linked to the subject matter of the contract, including compliance with the published specification. Such criteria cannot include supplier type or location.
	Wider social-economic criteria can be taken into account at tender evaluation stage if they relate directly to the subject matter of a contract from the point of view of the contracting authority.
	Treasury's procurements are evaluated against response guidance provided to bidders as part of Invitations to Tender (ITT) or Requests for Quotes (RFQ). Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the tenders issued and contracts they award with a value over £10,000 (excluding VAT):
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
	Selection criteria and weightings applied in procurements form part of the information published.

Tax Avoidance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much HM Revenue and Customs raised by tackling tax avoidance partnerships in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13;
	(2)  how many people are employed by HM Revenue and Customs to investigate tax avoidance partnerships.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs' compliance activity covers all aspects of compliance behaviour from error through to avoidance, evasion and organised criminal attack.
	HMRC takes a risk based approach to compliance activity and so a breakdown of the number of officers specifically working on partnerships tax avoidance is available only at a disproportionate cost.
	The information on partnerships is not separated out in HM Revenue and Customs' data on tax compliance yield and resources.
	The vast majority of people in this country pay the right tax at the right time. The Government has made clear that all tax avoidance is unacceptable, and has been relentless in taking action against it to protect the Exchequer, and to ensure fairness for the vast majority who don't try to avoid.

Tax Avoidance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the news release by HM Revenue and Customs on 23 December 2013, on the ruling of the Upper Tax Tribunal on Eclipse 35, if he will list the remaining 30 avoidance partnerships; and what amount of tax was lost to the Exchequer as a result of the operations of each such partnership.

David Gauke: As explained in my answer of 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 295W, under their statutory duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is unable to provide details of individual cases which have not already been published by the courts.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the security of online submission of tax returns; and what estimate he has made of the costs to those who have submitted returns to copycat sites in the last five years.

David Gauke: HMRC takes the security of online tax returns very seriously. The Department is aware of phishing attacks that invite customers to submit their personal returns via websites purporting to be HMRC websites and, once reported, HMRC works with the hosting providers of such websites to remove the sites.
	The security of the HMRC online tax return systems are accredited by HMRC security specialists. Accreditation is achieved through a detailed assessment of the security risks (including any risks to customer personal details) and an acceptable mitigation of those risks.
	HMRC does not collect information about the private use of third party websites nor on the costs charged by the owners of these websites.
	HMRC responds to such websites on a case-by-case basis. Where an offence has been committed, we work with law enforcement partners using the full extent of our powers.
	A cross-Government initiative is being led by the Cabinet Office to ensure that the public is adequately protected from the risks posed by imitation websites. HMRC is actively engaging with a number of HM Government Departments through the project.

Trade Missions: China

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representatives of Scottish business accompanied the Chancellor of the Exchequer on his recent trip to China.

Nicky Morgan: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) visited China for five days in October, including for the 5th UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue. This visit, and the Prime Minister's visit which followed, demonstrate the UK's commitment to building a long-term relationship with China.
	The visits, and preceding discussions, delivered commercial benefits for the UK.
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer was accompanied for part of the trip by a delegation of high-tech companies to showcase their cutting edge work to major Chinese companies. They visited Tencent, the world's third largest internet company, and Huawei, the world's second largest telecoms company. Huawei already employs around 900 staff in its UK subsidiary, and during the visit Huawei confirmed details of more than 200 new R&D jobs and the establishment of a research centre in the UK.
	In addition, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid) led an asset management focused delegation.

UK Asset Resolution

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many buy to let mortgages held by UKAR—UK Asset Resolution Limited—(a) are currently in arrears and (b) have had proceedings taken to protect assured shorthold tenancy arrangements.

Sajid Javid: NRAM—Northern Rock Asset Management—and Bradford and Bingley are managed by UK Asset Resolution Limited (UKAR) which was established in 2010 to manage the disposal and rundown of outstanding assets at Bradford and Bingley and Northern Rock Asset Management in an integrated way, with a view to creating value for the taxpayer. UKAR is managed at arm's length from Government, on commercial principles.
	Information on arrears is published in UKAR's accounts. The latest report is available under the following link:
	http://www.ukar.co.uk/~/media/Files/U/Ukar-V2/Attachments/press-releases/UKAR-interim-report-141113.pdf
	It is not clear what is being asked for by the request for the short hold tenancy arrangements.

UK Asset Resolution

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties where mortgages are held by UKAR have been (a) sold voluntarily by customers who were in difficulty meeting payments and (b) re-possessed as a result of customers having difficulty in meeting payments in (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland.

Sajid Javid: UK Asset Resolution (UKAR) does not track customers who have voluntarily sold their property.
	Information on possessions is published in UKAR's accounts. The latest report is available under the following link:
	http://www.ukar.co.uk/~/media/Files/U/Ukar-V2/Attachments/press-releases/UKAR-interim-report-141113.pdf
	A breakdown by country is not readily available.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Lord Rennard

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Metropolitan police approached the Crown Prosecution Service for early consultation or a pre-charge decision in relation to allegations of sexual touching made against Lord Rennard.

Oliver Heald: There was early investigative consultation between Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in relation to the allegations made against Lord Rennard. In accordance with the Director of Public Prosecutions’ guidance on charging, the MPS did not refer the case to the CPS for a charging decision.

Prosecutions

John Mann: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions have been initiated by each Crown Prosecution Service area in the last 12 months.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of defendants prosecuted and the outcome of proceedings, where the CPS made a decision to charge or initiate criminal proceedings against a suspect.
	The following table represents the number of defendants prosecuted by each CPS area, and the number and proportion where the CPS was responsible for the charging decision in 2012-13, which is the latest available data.
	
		
			   Total charged by CPS 
			  Total prosecuted by CPS Number Percentage 
			 Cymru Wales 52,755 14,264 27.0 
			 Eastern 48,756 12,936 26.5 
			 East Midlands 58,485 16,536 28.3 
			 London 137,267 40,455 29.5 
			 Merseyside and Cheshire 35,850 10,229 28.5 
			 North East 48,487 12,185 25.1 
			 North West 86,162 27,104 31.5 
			 South East 46,897 12,925 27.6 
			 South West 42,490 12,272 28.9 
			 Thames and Chiltern 48,668 12,250 25.2 
			 Wessex 37,445 11,290 30.2 
			 West Midlands 72,389 20,802 28.7 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 80,634 23,743 29.4 
			 Total 796,285 226,991 28.5 
		
	
	The remaining 569,294 defendants were charged by the police or in a small number of cases, other investigatory authorities.

Prosecutions

John Mann: To ask the Attorney-General how many bankers have been prosecuted by the (a) Serious Fraud Office and (b) Crown Prosecution Service for financial crimes in each of the last six years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office do not maintain central records on the occupation of defendants. Such information could be obtained only through a manual search of records which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Sentencing: Appeals

Karen Lumley: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions in 2013 he referred a criminal sentence to the Court of Appeal for review because it was felt to be unduly lenient.

Oliver Heald: Of the sentences which were brought to the attention of the Law Officers in 2013, 701 have been referred to the Court of Appeal. 60 of these have already been heard and 10 are scheduled to be heard in the Court over the next few months.
	Of these 60 sentences already heard at the Court of Appeal, 52 sentences were increased, seven stayed the same and one had a reserved judgment.
	Complete data on unduly lenient sentences reviewed by the Law Officers in 2013 will be published online later in the year once all of the cases have been finalised.
	1 This figure differs from the one of 67 given by the Attorney-General on 7 January 2014, Official Report, column 164, as three additional sentences from 2013 have been referred since that date.

CABINET OFFICE

Electronic Government

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of websites charging for access to Government online services in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will take steps to enable the Competition and Markets Authority to be able to take enforcement action on websites found to be charging for access to online Government services irrespective of whether a disclaimer statement is deployed;
	(3)  what cross-departmental Ministerial meetings he has held since October 2013 relating to websites charging for access to Government online services; if he will report on the progress of the review being led by the Government Digital Service; and how many complaints were received by his Department in each month since October 2013.

Nick Hurd: I have regular meetings with my ministerial colleagues but it has been the practice of successive Administrations that details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
	Officials in the Government Digital Service (GDS) are leading a cross-Government exercise to gather information about the operation of third-party websites offering services associated with official Government services. This research will guide our work to address the issue and the Government's engagement with the internet search, engine providers that carry advertisements for the services of these unofficial providers.
	Where Government have become aware of websites that make misleading claims in their advertising it has brought these complaints to the attention of the Advertising Standards Authority. Government have and continues to take direct action to prevent the misuse of Government logos or any suggestion of affiliation with Government by these websites.
	From 2014, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will be taking over many of the functions and responsibilities of the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading. The CMA is an independent body.

Museums and Galleries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the financial contribution required from each institution in the museums and galleries sector is as a result of the transfer of pension liabilities from the Cabinet Office.

Francis Maude: There are no current plans to transfer any pension liabilities from the Cabinet Office.

Solar Events

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what contingency plans the Government have in the event of large solar flares.

Francis Maude: The Government's broad approach to resilience is to ensure that effective cross cutting capabilities and business continuity arrangements are in place to underpin the response to a disruptive challenge, irrespective of its cause.
	In the case of severe space weather, which includes solar flares, the Government are working with industry and the science and engineering communities to better understand the potential impacts of this complex risk and ensure that wherever possible infrastructure is robust enough to minimise the risk to critical systems.
	In addition, the UK is collaborating with international partners to improve our ability to predict and assess space weather events, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills recently announced a £4.6 million investment for the Met Office space weather forecasting and prediction centre.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Bishop of Bath and Wells

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what heirlooms of the see there are in relation to the Bishop's Palace at Wells.

Tony Baldry: The Palace at Wells contains many heirlooms of the Bishop of Bath and Wells including the Coronation cope worn traditionally during the Coronation ceremony by the Bishop. These and other heirlooms of the Bishops of Bath and Wells will remain in the palace for the foreseeable future.

Bishop of Bath and Wells

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what repairs or maintenance to the living accommodation of the Bishop of Bath and Wells in the Bishop's Palace in Wells were identified in the Church Commissioners' most recent quinquennial review; what the date was of that review; and what the anticipated costs were of any such repairs or maintenance.

Tony Baldry: The living accommodation for the Bishop of Bath and Wells and his family form an integral part of the palace at Wells. The latest quinquennial review took place in 2013. Due to the location of the accommodation for the Bishop within the palace the review did not separate out the various specific costs of work required within the Bishop’s flat from that of the rest of the palace complex.

Bishop of Bath and Wells

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the future of the Bishop's Palace in Wells, what consultation has taken place between the Church Commissioners and (a) English Heritage and (b) any other individual or body qualified to advise the Commissioners under section 4 of the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943.

Tony Baldry: Section 4 of the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943 does not apply in this case, as the Commissioners have not exercised a power conferred by that Measure to transfer, sell, convert or demolish the palace. The Bishops of Bath and Wells and Taunton will continue to use the office accommodation and the chapel in the palace for their work and ministry, and the public will continue to have access to the palace and its gardens through the work of the Palace Trust.

Bishop of Bath and Wells

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners what consultation has taken place between the Church Commissioners and the Diocesan Advisory Committee in accordance with the terms of the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943 section 3(1) over the proposed new residence of the Bishop of Bath and Wells and the proposed change of use of the Bishop's Palace at Wells.

Tony Baldry: No consultation has taken place with the diocesan advisory committee under section 3 of the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure, because the Commissioners are not taking a decision to which section 3(1) applies. The Bishops of Bath and Wells and Taunton will continue to use the office accommodation and the chapel in the Palace for their work and ministry, and the public will continue to have access to the Palace and its gardens through the work of the Palace Trust.

Bishop of Bath and Wells

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 1502W, on Bishop of Bath and Wells, what estimated (a) stamp duty and (b) other associated costs will be paid by the Church Commissioners for their purchase or proposed purchase of property to accommodate the new Bishop of Bath and Wells.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners are a registered charity and therefore are not required to pay stamp duty; they have also used their own in house legal advisors. The other associated costs therefore are estimated currently at £3,000.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Accidents

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the Government asked for the removal of article 6(e) from the EU Commission’s proposal for a revision of Regulation 2027/97/EC; and what his Department’s policy is on article 6(e) of that proposal.

Robert Goodwill: The Department is of the opinion that hand luggage allowances are a commercial decision for airlines to manage and justify.

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department’s area of responsibility in the same period.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport has transposed 50 EU directives into UK law since 2010. This number only includes fully transposed directives. The Department for Transport has been tracking all EU regulations since 8 July 2010. Since that date, 145 EU regulations in the Department for Transport’s area of responsibility have come into effect. Details of all EU legislation, including full details of all EU regulations that have come into force before 8 July 2010, can be found on the Commission’s website at:
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu/RECH_legislation.do

Fuel Cells: Hydrogen

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to enable the hydrogen fuel industry to compete effectively and secure a position for itself as a viable part of the transport mix;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to support the hydrogen fuelling market; and what the Government's proposed timeline for implementing these measures is.

Robert Goodwill: Three Government Departments (BIS, DECC and DFT through the Office for Low Emission Vehicles) have been participating in UKH2Mobility, a joint industry-Government project. The aims of the project are to evaluate the potential for hydrogen as a fuel for transport in the UK and to identify what it will take to position the UK as an early market for the commercial deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles from 2015.
	Following the completion of the evaluation phase and publication of the report in February 2013, UKH2Mobility has been working in Phase 2 to develop a potential business plan for the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and the associated refuelling infrastructure in the UK. Key areas of work have included improving the understanding of the early customer proposition, developing options for securing the initial investment in hydrogen refuelling stations, and identifying mechanisms to ensure a pathway to production of green hydrogen.
	The UKH2Mobility project has developed an outline business plan, as targeted by end 2013. This includes some potential options and choices for both Government and industry stakeholders and these will be considered by participants over the next few months.
	In addition, the Government are now analysing responses received following the call for evidence to inform the design of the £500 million package of Government support for ultra low emission vehicles between 2015-20. Any interventions from Government for the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and the associated refuelling infrastructure will be determined in the context of that wider package of support.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the power required for High Speed 2 will be generated; and whether any new power stations will be needed to ensure there is sufficient capacity in the energy network for High Speed 2.

Robert Goodwill: HS2 Ltd is currently discussing power requirements with National Grid who are responsible for managing the supply of energy within the National Grid system. Electric railways consume around one per cent of the electricity used in this country, and HS2 would add marginally to that.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to record details of foreign registered vehicles as they (a) enter and (b) exit the UK.

Stephen Hammond: Details of foreign registered vehicles entering and leaving the UK are gathered by the UK Border Force. The Department for Transport has no plans to change this.
	However, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is currently working with the UK Border Force and the police to understand how the data gathered at UK ports can be used to identify vehicle keepers who do not comply with the registration and licensing rules.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many previously foreign registered vehicles were re-registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: Between 2009 and 2012 the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has re-registered 243,722 previously foreign registered vehicles. The following table provides the breakdown.
	
		
			  Number of vehicles 
			 2009 65,060 
			 2010 62,373 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 58,379 
			 2012 57,910 
		
	
	Since 2013 the way that certain vehicle transactions are processed has changed and the data gathered about foreign registered vehicles is no longer readily available. In 2013, the DVLA processed 99,168 applications to register imported vehicles. Based on the average of previous years, around 60,000 of these applications were likely to have been previously foreign registered vehicles.

Railway Stations: Disability

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which railway stations do not have step free access; and what the annual footfall at each such station is.

Stephen Hammond: Information on the accessibility of individual railway stations is collected by the Rail Delivery Group and published as part of the Stations Made Easy facility on the National Rail Enquiries website. The Office of Rail Regulation is responsible for recording and collating station footfall figures for stations and publishes these on its website.

Railways: Tickets

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times since May 2010 he has used his statutory powers to require train operators to comply with the terms of their franchise agreements to use reasonable endeavours to ensure that passengers do not have to queue at a ticket office for more than five minutes during periods of peak demand or for more than three minutes at any other time.

Stephen Hammond: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), expects operators to comply with these requirements and will take appropriate action, including enforcement action, where it is necessary to do so. Enforcement powers have not been used since May 2010 because it has not been necessary to do so.

Railways: Tickets

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he intends to take against train operators who do not decrease the time taken to buy a ticket.

Stephen Hammond: The Fares and Ticketing Review Next Steps published in October 2013 set out the Government’s vision for a modern, customer-focused fares and ticketing system that supports our objectives of allowing even more people to travel by rail and ensure they have a better experience. The actions we are taking forward from this review will improve ticketing through a number of measures, from the roll-out of smart ticketing, better information to passengers and a market review by the Office of Rail Regulation to consider whether the current market for selling train tickets is operating as efficiently as possible. We will work with train operators to deliver these actions to the benefit of passengers and as such do not envisage any steps being necessary against operators.

Railways: Tickets

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the rail industry on the maintenance of electronic ticket machines at stations.

Stephen Hammond: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), has had no recent discussions with the rail industry on this area.

Rescue Services: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial support the UK provides to mountain rescue teams.

Stephen Hammond: Grants to the three UK mountain rescue organisations totalling £200,000 per annum have been provided for the four financial years from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Taxis

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public use of the Law Commission review of taxis and private hire vehicles over the life of the review.

Stephen Hammond: The quantifiable cost of the project to the Law Commission between July 2011 and 15 January 2014 is £345,800. This includes staff costs, travel costs and other expense and the cost of publications. The staff costs are those of the lawyers and research assistants working on the project. The figure does not include salary costs of other staff, nor of the Commissioner responsible, which are not separately recorded.
	In addition, four officials within the Department for Transport have been involved in the review to varying degrees, resulting in a cost to the public purse of around £15,000.

Train Operating Companies

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train operating companies (TOCs) have (a) applied for and (b) been awarded funding from the Access for All programme; to which TOCs such funding has been awarded; and for what purposes such funding has been allocated.

Stephen Hammond: The £370 million Access for All programme, launched in 2006, will deliver an accessible route to each platform at around 150 selected stations by March 2015. In addition, more than 1,100 stations have received funding for a large variety of smaller scale access improvements such as accessible ticket counters, toilets, customer information systems on platforms and tactile warning paving. Stations managed by every franchised train operator have benefitted from this funding.
	To build on this success we have made £100 million available to extend the programme until 2019 and the industry has nominated 277 stations for this funding. These business cases are currently being assessed and we hope to be able to announce successful projects in April this year. All franchised train operators have nominated at least one station.

Transport

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the benefits of open access for (a) the consumer and (b) the public purse.

Stephen Hammond: Open access operators have helped to provide innovative services for passengers and have helped to grow new rail markets—often with excellent passenger satisfaction scores. The additional competitive pressure in the market provided by open access can also improve the experience of passengers of franchised services.
	These beneficial impacts must be balanced against the potential to abstract passenger revenue from franchised operators. This abstraction primarily manifests itself as a cost to Government in the form of diminished value of the franchises when they are tendered.
	In an attempt to mitigate this problem, the Office of Rail Regulation (“ORR”) applies the “not primarily abstractive test”, which aims to ensure that applicants for open access routes will generate at least 30p of new revenue for every £1 of existing revenue which is abstracted from franchised operators. The ORR has concluded that if the open access operator generates any less new revenue, the benefits of their operation would not outweigh the costs. Our policy is to support the not primarily abstractive test in its current form.
	All freight rail operations currently run on an open access basis. Our assessment is that for this very different part of the rail market the open access system works well for both customers and the public purse.

Travel: Sustainable Development

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to support local economic partnerships in the application process for the local sustainable transport and walking schemes 2015-16.

Robert Goodwill: On 23 December we launched guidance for transport authorities to bid for £78.5 million revenue set aside for the Local Sustainable Transport Fund 2015-16. We have encouraged transport authorities to work with their Local Enterprise Partnerships to ensure ongoing support for sustainable transport schemes.
	£100 million capital is available within the Local Growth Fund for local sustainable transport projects. We are supporting Local Enterprise Partnerships with the development of their Strategic Economic Plans by providing feedback on the sustainable travel elements of their plans.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Reshoring

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential for reshoring and import substitution in the UK economy.

Vincent Cable: An initial Manufacturing Advisory Service assessment found that 11% of SMEs surveyed had reshored some production to the UK in the last 12 months. The automotive council has also identified £3 billion of additional sourcing opportunities; offshore wind could support 30,000 supply chain jobs by 2020; and the new nuclear build programme could add £11 billion GVA if 44% of contracts go to UK suppliers. Together these suggest considerable potential for rebuilding UK supply chains.

Business: Higher Education

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to help build partnerships between businesses and universities.

David Willetts: The Government encourage businesses and universities to collaborate through a variety of funding mechanisms, tax incentives and other means. Most recently the Prime Minister announced £15 million of funding for a pilot of University Enterprise Zones.
	Other ways in which Government support collaboration between businesses and universities include through the Technology Strategy Board and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

EU External Trade

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress has been made on establishing EU free trade agreements. [R]

Michael Fallon: The EU has agreements in place with some 50 partner countries and has finished negotiating 10 trade agreements that have yet to enter into force. It also has 12 free trade agreement negotiations under way.
	Ongoing negotiations include those with major trading partners such as the USA and Japan. Negotiations with the Commonwealth countries of Canada and Singapore reached political conclusion last year.
	A full list of the EU free trade agreements in place and currently under negotiation is available on the DG Trade website:
	http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2012/november/tradoc_150129.pdf

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department's area of responsibility in the same period.

Jennifer Willott: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson), to the hon. Member for Harrow West (Mr Thomas), on 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 965W.

Furniture: Imports

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the importing of furniture that does not meet the requirements in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988; and if he will make a statement.

Jennifer Willott: In the past six months, Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have received three pieces of correspondence on this matter.

Higher Education: Private Sector

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2013, Official Report, column 821W, on higher education: private sector, who the providers were of the courses for students who had their loans halted in the academic year 2013-14.

David Willetts: holding answer 21 January 2014
	One or more students at the alternative providers listed as follows have had their student support payments suspended in academic year 2013/14, while the Student Loans Company carries out additional checks to assess personal eligibility of these students:
	AA Hamilton College
	ABI College
	Academy of Live and Recorded Arts
	Access to Music
	American Intercontinental University London
	Architectural Association School of Architecture
	Ballet West
	BIMM
	BPP University College of Professional Studies
	Brit College
	British Institute of Technology & E-Commerce
	British School of Osteopathy
	Buckingham University
	Centre for Homeopathic Education
	Centre for Nutrition Education
	Chicken Shed Theatre
	Christ the Redeemer College
	City & Guilds of London Art School
	City of London College
	College of Integrated Chinese Medicine
	David Game College
	Delamar Academy of Makeup
	Eastend Computing and Business College
	Edge Hotel School
	Essex International College
	European Business School
	Fairfield School of Business
	Futureworks Training Ltd
	Grafton College of Management Sciences
	Greenwich School of Management
	Ice Academy
	Icon College of Technology and Management
	IFS School of Finance
	International College of Oriental Medicine
	Islamic College for Advanced Studies
	Jewish Teacher Training Partnership
	Kaplan Holborn College
	Kaplan Open Learning(University of Essex Online)
	Kensington College of Business
	London Bridge Business Academy
	London Centre of Contemporary Music
	London Churchill College
	London college of Accountancy (LCA Bus. Sch)
	London School of Academics
	London School of Business & Finance
	London School of Business & Management
	London School of Management Education
	London School of Science & Technology
	London School of Theology
	McTimoney College of Chiropractic
	Met Film School
	Middlesex College of Law
	Mont Rose College of Management & Sciences
	Moorlands College
	Nazarene Theological College
	Nelson College London
	Newbold College
	Northern College of Acupuncture
	OLC Europe Ltd Incorporating EETTEC Ltd
	Oxford Business College
	Pearson College Ltd
	Queens College Birmingham
	Regents Theological College
	Regents College-London School of Film Media
	Resource Development International (RDI)
	Richmond, The American Intl University in London
	Royal Academy of Dance
	RTC Education Ltd T/A Regent College
	SAE Institute
	Springdale College
	St Patrick's International College
	Steve Allison Associates Ltd
	Stratford College London
	Tech Music Schools
	The Academy of Contemporary Music
	The City College
	The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
	The Interactive Design Institute
	The London College, UCK
	The London Oriental Academy
	The MGA Academy of Performing Arts
	The University of Law
	Tottenham Hotspur Foundation
	UCFB College of Football Business Ltd
	UK College of Business & Computing Ltd
	West London Coll of Business & Management Sciences
	Williams College

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of statistics on student participation in higher education.

David Willetts: In 2013, the proportion of the 18-year-old population entering higher education in England was the highest ever. The rate for young people from the most disadvantaged areas was also the highest ever. And as a consequence of our reforms more students than ever before were accepted onto their first choice course.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) to encourage inward investment to their area; and what guidance he gives LEPs on steps they should take to differentiate their area from other parts of the UK.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has overall responsibility within government for the attraction and retention of foreign direct investment in the UK. It provides a range of support and services to new investors considering a presence in the UK for the first time, and works with established investors to help maintain and grow their business in and from the UK. Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are an integral part of the national offer.
	LEPs are developing Strategic Economic Plans, which will set out how they will encourage growth in their areas. UKTI is supporting them to help them better articulate their inward investment offer, focusing on differentiating their area from overseas rather than internal competition. UKTI is providing extra resource to ensure LEPs are better equipped to attract high quality foreign direct investment.
	An early part of this work is the Local Investment Showcase:
	www.localinvestuk.com
	where LEPs and their delivery partners have been encouraged to represent their globally competitive sector strengths in the form of an attractive, searchable online profile.

Private Sector: Birmingham

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how the Greater Birmingham City Deal will address the imbalance of private sector growth; and what effect it will have on neighbouring towns.

Michael Fallon: The proposals in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull (GBS) City Deal aims to accelerate economic activity in the long-term and is a commitment to seizing Greater Birmingham and Solihull's growth potential. The Deal aims to unlock growth and address imbalances in private sector growth by directing investments to key projects, infrastructure and sectors. It helps to implement the Local Enterprise Partnership's (LEP) 'Strategy for Growth' which focuses on Birmingham and its neighbours, including Redditch. The GBS LEP will work with neighbouring LEPs to fund projects across LEP areas that would have mutual economic benefits. Specifically, the Deal will drive growth in the GBS LEP target sectors (and wider economy) through a Skills for Growth Hub that will rapidly increase Apprenticeship uptake and sustainable employment. Surrounding LEPs will benefit from the skills delivered through the Hub. Birmingham university will also establish a new Institute for Translational Medicine. This facility will support further growth in the health/medical services sector.

Solar Events

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research the Government is undertaking or funding into solar flares.

David Willetts: The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has responsibility for funding research relating to solar physics, which includes research into solar flares. STFC funds research on solar physics/flares at a number of universities around the UK including Leicester, University College London, Imperial College London, Glasgow, Belfast, Dundee, St Andrews, Warwick and Sheffield, as well as at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. In total, STFC commits approximately £0.5 million to research in this area each year.
	UK Space Agency (UKSA) enables this research by supporting a number of world-leading UK instruments such as the Heliospheric Imager on NASA's STEREO satellites, and the solar wind plasma and magnetic field sensors on the future NASA Sunjammer mission. It is estimated that the UKSA contribution for the development and running costs of these types of instruments is around £3.0 million per annum.

Students: Loans

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was collected in student loan repayments in 2012-13; and what estimate he has made of the value of student loan repayments made in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

David Willetts: Repayments for 2012-13 have not yet been finalised as the Student Loans Company are still to receive final information from HMRC on deductions and payments made through Self-Assessment for which the deadline is 31 January 2014. Final numbers for 2012-13 will be published in June 2014 in the Statistical First Release (SFR) 'Income Contingent Repayments by repayment cohort'.
	The SLC publication with data for 2011-12 can be found here:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/statistics/official-statistics-(slc)/officialstatistics1.aspx
	BIS forecasts for repayments are as follows:
	
		
			  £ billion 
			 2012-13 1.7 
			 2013-14 1.8 
			 2014-15 2.1 
		
	
	Our work on forecasting loan repayments is continuous and ongoing and we would expect these forecasts to be amended as modelling changes are implemented, and as revised macroeconomic data are received.

Students: Loans

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken by graduates to repay student loan debt under (a) the current fees and loan system and (b) its predecessor systems.

David Willetts: The average length of time to pay off loans in full was most recently estimated at the time of the reforms to the higher education system in 2011. This estimated that, under the pre-2012 system, those borrowers who fully repaid would do so in an average of around 13 years. The equivalent period of time for borrowers under the post-2012 system was around 17 years.